AWKA, Nigeria – Oseloka Obaze, a close ally of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and a key figure in the Obedient Movement, has resigned his membership of the Labour Party (LP), citing alleged irregularities in the party’s recently concluded governorship primaries in Anambra State.
In a resignation letter issued on Sunday, May 4, 2025, and addressed to the LP chairman of his Ochuche Ward 406 in Ogbaru Local Government Area, Obaze announced his decision to sever ties with the party, condemning what he described as a deeply flawed and undemocratic process.
“The processes, conduct and outcome of the Labour Party governorship primaries held on April 5, 2025 in Awka, were fraught with outright irregularities, bothering on fraud and criminality,” Obaze wrote.
“It was not in tandem with either the party’s Constitution and espoused core values or true tenets of democracy.”
Obaze, a former United Nations diplomat and one-time Secretary to the Anambra State Government under then-Governor Peter Obi, had played a prominent role in Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign, serving as his campaign manager and policy adviser.
His departure is a significant blow to the Labour Party’s standing in Anambra and within the broader Obidient movement.
Confirming his resignation to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Obaze said, “The letter is real and speaks for itself.”
He also cited ongoing leadership crises within the Labour Party’s national structure — particularly the unresolved power struggle between Julius Abure and Senator Nenadi Usman — as further reason for his disillusionment.
Though Obaze did not disclose his next political affiliation or future plans, his exit comes amid heightened tensions within the LP following disputed primary elections and calls for internal reforms.
Obaze had resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2022, shortly before Peter Obi made a similar move to join the Labour Party.
Together, they helped mobilise a significant base of young and urban voters across Nigeria under the banner of the Obidient Movement.
The Labour Party has not yet officially responded to Obaze’s resignation.
