About 2,000 individuals who were members of various political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), among others, have joined the Labour Party led by Peter Obi in Central Borno.
The defectors gathered in Biu Local Government Area to renounce their former parties and show their support for the Obidient movement. Most of the defectors came from Southern Borno towns and local governments, such as Askira-Uba, Gwoza, Chibok, Damboa, Hawul, Kwaya, and Shani.
At a town hall meeting called the Biu Summit, organized by Isaac Balami, a Labour Party leader and National Deputy Campaign Manager of the Obi/Datti Campaign Council, the defectors declared their passion to join the Labour Party’s executive committee. Balami, who was welcomed by thousands of supporters of the party to his hometown of Biu, accepted the new members and urged them to work hard to ensure Peter Obi’s victory in the elections.
According to some of the defectors who spoke to reporters, they were tired of the PDP and APC governments and wanted to try a new party that would positively impact their lives and those of their children. They also rejected the practice of vote buying with cubes of Maggi and salt, which is commonly associated with the APC and PDP.
Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu of the APC, and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP are the top contenders in the election. Despite Atiku’s confidence in securing a majority of the votes in the north, analysts predict an intense fight among the three candidates in the region.