Blame Yourself, Not Others, for Labour Party’s Failure – Fadojoe Tells Peter Obi

By Our Reporter

Former presidential aspirant of the Labour Party, Faduri Oluwadare Joseph, popularly known as Fadojoe, has issued a scathing critique of Mr. Peter Obi, accusing the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party of shirking responsibility for the party’s internal crisis and electoral setbacks.

In a strongly worded statement released on Thursday, Fadojoe, who also leads the Rescue Movement for New Nigeria, said Obi has continuously blamed others including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, party leadership, and external forces for the Labour Party’s woes, instead of taking personal responsibility.

“It is laughable that a man who prides himself on competence and capacity is today a symbol of division, confusion, and underperformance,” Fadojoe said.

According to him, the Labour Party was a united and peaceful political platform before Obi joined in 2022. He alleges that Obi’s entrance brought division, which ultimately contributed to the party’s poor performance in the 2023 general elections.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand,” he declared. “How can a man who claims he wants to govern a complex nation like Nigeria not even manage a small political party?”

Fadojoe challenged Obi’s political consistency and questioned his commitment to party building, citing the former Anambra State governor’s history of moving between political parties from APGA to PDP, and later to Labour Party in pursuit of political ambitions.

“Instead of strengthening APGA, Obi ran to PDP for another political meal, then moved again to Labour Party for a third helping — always looking for the easiest path, not the one requiring true leadership and sacrifice,” he noted.

The statement also faulted Obi’s post-election conduct, accusing him of distancing himself from Labour Party Chairman Julius Abure and failing to reconcile aggrieved members after the 2023 polls.

“Now that the party is in ruins, he blames Abure for the dirt, forgetting he was the one who walked into a clean house and messed it up,” Fadojoe asserted, while stressing that leadership demands accountability, not blame-shifting.

On the issue of Obi’s qualifications to lead a potential coalition in the run-up to the 2027 elections, Fadojoe was blunt: “Mr. Obi is not qualified to be a coalition candidate for 2027. That position must be earned through proven leadership, party unity, and capacity, not mere popularity or public sympathy.”

He also questioned Obi’s silence on key national issues such as the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the Sit-at-Home order in the Southeast, oil theft in the Niger Delta, and insecurity across Nigeria.

“On all these pressing national matters, Peter Obi remains silent. But on universally agreeable issues like unemployment and poverty, he speaks loudly — because they are ‘safe zones’,” Fadojoe said.

He concluded by urging Nigerians to demand visionary and competent leadership, rather than fall for populist narratives or tribal sentiments.

“If you cannot lead, step aside,” he said. “Let those of us who have the vision, the capacity, and the courage to build a united and purpose-driven Labour Party take over.”

Fadojoe, who claims to have helped revive the Labour Party through his Rescue Movement prior to Obi’s arrival, called on citizens especially those in the diaspora, not to lose hope in Nigeria’s future.

“Let’s not wait for a savior. Let’s become the saviors our country needs,” he said, ending with a patriotic note: “God bless you. God bless me. And may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”