The Labour Party (LP) has accused Valentine Ozigbo, the 2021 Anambra governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of betrayal and attempting to undermine the party.
In a statement on Sunday, LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, criticised Ozigbo for his recent remarks on national television, saying he had engaged in “serious attempts to demarket our party in his attention-seeking antics.”
“As a party, we rarely respond to media attacks by individuals who, for political reasons, create some aura of importance around their persons but, in actual fact, are liabilities to both the party they belong to and also to their constituents,” Ifoh said.
“But for Val Ozigbo, the Labour Party views his present pitiable position as quite unfortunate and can only advise him that no one gets into a position of power through betrayal and desperation.”
He recalled that Ozigbo had contested the 2021 Anambra governorship election under the PDP and “woefully lost” before joining LP in 2022, allegedly to leverage the popularity of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
“He tagged along the campaign without adding any value whatsoever to the campaign, hoping to earn some popularity with his closeness to the candidate.
“Today, Ozigbo has shown his real character, and he is even claiming that his association with the Obidient family was a disservice to his political ambition.”
Ifoh dismissed Ozigbo’s reasons for leaving LP, particularly his concerns over the party’s national convention and internal defections, saying:
“The issue of the national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, has been clearly and decidedly addressed by the courts in favour of the incumbent executive.
“Also, the defection is a national malaise affecting all the major political parties, and these defections are being challenged in the courts.”
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He alleged that Ozigbo preferred to align with the ruling government for personal gain, stating:
“The truth is that Val Ozigbo would rather contest the election in a political party where he hopes to be rewarded by the government in power when he loses the election.
“It is a fact that he has been financially challenged after the 2021 election, and he is desperately in need of resuscitating himself.”
Ifoh further accused Ozigbo of lacking grassroots support, citing his failure to deliver his polling unit for LP in the 2023 presidential election.
“Every politics is local, but to him, endorsement from the top is all that matters. It will interest you to know that in the 2023 presidential election, the Labour Party lost the election in the polling unit in front of Ozigbo’s residence. It tells you how weightless Ozigbo is politically.”
He claimed Ozigbo’s exit was triggered by a poor showing at the July 2024 Anambra State Congress, where all his nominees were rejected in a “free and fair contest.”
“The very embarrassed Val Ozigbo read the handwriting on the wall, and that pushed him to rebel against the party leadership. Unknown to many, Mr. Ozigbo actually left LP in July 2024 after that disgraceful outing.”
Ifoh warned Ozigbo against attempting to destroy LP, saying:
“Being a destructive agent against a party that once offered him a platform to achieve his political aspirations can be cruel and hardly a way to go in politics, the consequence of which can be disastrous.
“His adversarial critique of the party is not just infantile but has also gone further in diminishing his already frustrated personality.”
He suggested that Ozigbo’s fear of competition within LP’s governorship race might have driven his decision to leave but added, “We still wish him well in his future political engagements.”