Hon. Chidi Mark Obetta, deputy chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget and Research represents Nsukka/Igbo Eze South Federal Constituency of Enugu state in the National Assembly.

In this interview, he explained the reasons behind his recent resignation from the Labour Party, and eventual return to the Peoples Democratic Party.

 Sir, may we know why you resigned from the Labour Party.

 I resigned from the Labour Party because of the leadership crisis that has bedeviled the party.

As everyone is aware, Labour Party leadership at the national level is currently  balkanised into several factions. The situation is also the same in my state – Enugu.

  The Supreme Court on the 4th April, 2025 nullified the Appeal Court judgement that affirmed Barr Julius Abure as national chairman of Labour Party.  But despite that decision of the apex Court, Abure is still insisting that he remains the national chairman of the party.

There is still another parallel national leadership of the party. That is the Senator Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee.  

In addition to the Abure and Senator Nenadi Usman leaderships, there is  again,  the Alhaji Apapa faction which is also laying claims that it is the authentic leadership of the LP.

And as we all know, it is  clear that certain forces outside the LP is responsible for the leadership crisis in the party. And it is clear that it will be very difficult to root out the external forces behind the party’s crisis because the forces are determined  to completely strangulate the party.

In Enugu state chapter of the party, there are two parallel leaderships of Labour Party. While Barrister Casmir Agbo is leading one faction as chairman, the party’s Enugu North zonal chairman, Hon Kingsley Ugwu, is heading the faction of Senator Nenadi Usman’s Caretaker Committee as the chairman too.

So, in all of these, it is clear that Labour Party has become a house divided against itself. And according to the wise saying “Any house divided against itself cannot stand.”

So, conscious of the wisdom in the above adage, and, because of the fact that I cannot afford to give my constituents any excuses for underperforming on  the contract I entered into with them when I was campaigning for their mandate, I decided to make hey while the sun shines. So, I left Labour Party in order not to be distracted from delivering on my campaign promises.

 So, my resignation from Labour Party is in the interest of the good people of my constituency, Nsukka/ Igbo-Eze South federal constituency.

Very important too, I resigned from Labour Party to make sure that I realised my political mantra which is to impact humanity, and, society.

I stated it copiously in my manifesto when I was campaigning for this mandate which I am currently exercising in the 10th National Assembly that my aspiration  when I joined the murky waters of our country’s politics in 2013 was my quest for a platform that will afford me the pedestal to impact humanity and society more. At that time, I was still at a very younger age.

At that time, I  already had about hundred employees, especially my fellow youths in my private businesses.

But there was still this disturbing instinct in me at that time urging me to seek political position to enable me get higher opportunities to  impact  humanity and society the more.

So, it is this same inspiration which compelled me to join politics in 2013 that propelled my instant decision to resign from the Labour Party and return to the Peoples Democratic Party.

 Now, why did you choose to return to the Peoples Democratic Party as the best ?

My reason for returning to the PDP is simple: I find the current PDP government in Enugu state under His Excellency, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, as a reformed party. More importantly, the policies, programmes, and, indeed, the achievements of the administration so far are clear testaments that the governor is genuinely committed to transforming our beloved Enugu state.The various  programmes and projects the administration has also outlined to execute demonstrate that he has great ambition for the state;  that the administration is honest, and, that the governor has a progressive-mind. He  is committed to improving the well-being of the people and bringing about Infrastructural transformation of our state.

For instance, what the government is doing in the education sector is just top-notch. The Smart school initiative. Under the initiative, the government is building a Smart school of 27 classrooms in each of the 260 electoral wards in the state. This will give you over 7,000 classrooms under the Smart school programme across the state.

 In the health sector, the government is constructing under Type 3 health centre programme, a healthcare centre in each electoral ward in the state . In the tourism sector , the administration is reconstructing the Presidential Hotel into a 5-Star hotel. The Enugu Air  already has about three aircrafts in its fleet. In land transport sector, I am aware that the government has procured 200 CNG buses.

In the agricultural sector, the government has proposed to construct one farm estate in each of the 260 electoral wards. You can imagine the number of jobs opportunities this programme will provide apart from the great impact it will make in food supply chain. Also in the infrastructural development, the Ugwogo Nike road construction to Opi Nsukka junction is a legacy project. So, what the government is doing in the infrastructural development is great!

So, I rejoined the PDP to embrace the administration to be able  to influence the government to extend its development programmes and policies to my federal constituency and Enugu North Senatorial Zone at large.

 I find in His Excellency, Dr. Peter Mbah, a passion for creating a new Nigeria just in the same manner being championed by my political mentor, His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi.

 At this point, I think it is also necessary to let the people of my constituency and other esteemed political admirers and supporters know that part of the reasons I rejoined the PDP was my response to the governor’s personal invitation to me to come and join forces with his administration in the onerous task of developing our state.  It is the governor himself who invited me to come over to the PDP to be closer to his administration and, I believe that my synergy with the administration will definitely benefit my constituents more.

Besides, the relationship will certainly help in cascading whatever I attract from the federal level faster to the people of my constituency as the state government will readily support such my efforts with  her apparati to ensure that such incentives reached my constituents in real time for a better impact on them and the constituency at large.

 What is your reaction to the festering insecurity in some parts of your constituency? Sometime last month, we heard that about 15 persons were kidnapped at Ibagwa-Agu, a rich agricultural community in your constituency.

 The issue of insecurity in our constituency and senatorial zone also requires that we join forces with the state government to tackle the ugly situation. As we are still grappling with the sad narrative in the rich agricultural Uzo-Uwani local government area owing to the level of insecurity ravaging the area which has already claimed many lives, forcing the people to abandon their farming activities due to the onslaughts allegedly being perpetrated by suspected cattle herders, the same scenario appears to have started cascading to parts of my federal constituency as you pointed out. Yes, in mid last April, about 15 persons were kidnapped at Ibagwa-Agu community in my federal constituency. The area is a popular farm settlement with rich and fertile agricultural endowments. A closer collaboration between me and the state government will help draw the government’s attention to initiate immediate security measures to stop the sad development from gaining any ground in the agricultural settlement.

Such sad scenario if allowed to take root will unleash unimaginable hunger and general hardship on the people because farmers will be scared from engaging in their farming activities for fear of being kidnapped.

 How would you like to be remembered  having been elected into the House of Representatives?

 I have an ambition to leave a legacy that will outlive several generations to come in my current mandate. Though I am aware of the accolades that have been trailing my performances so far in the House of Representatives within the past two years from majority of my constituents and even others outside my constituency, I don’t want to be carried away by the praises. And say, oh, people are happy with what I have achieved, therefore, let me relax, no.

Yes, I hear people expressing gratitude to me over the water boreholes I have provided in some communities, town halls I constructed in some communities, my youth empowerment and employment programmes , etc, I want to state, however, that I don’t want to be carried away by the accolades trailing those my achievements. There are some legacy projects I am struggling to make sure that I achieve within my current tenure which I believe that joining forces with the progressive spirit of our dear governor will make their realisation a lot more easier for me.

 Did you consult members of your former political party, the Labour Party in your constituency and your supporters before you returned to the PDP? What was their response like. ?

I consulted widely and very importantly, it is necessary for me to let it be known that before I finally took the decision to leave Labour Party, I had played the much roles as I could to contribute to mending the cracked fences in the party’s leadership. But at some point it became obvious to me that the crisis has become insurmountable.

Now to answer your question as to whether I consulted my constituents before leaving Labour Party for the PDP, my answer is, yes, I did.

Before I officially tendered my letter of resignation from the Labour Party to the chairman in my ward: Ibagwani/Okpaligbo/Okpuje/ Ibagwa-Agu ward, I met with the various stakeholders of the party at different levels and explained to them my reasons for wanting to exit the party and why I chose to return to the PDP.

Though a great number of them saw my reasons as genuine and immediately joined me to PDP,  there were some others who were undecided while some did not agree with my decision at all. But in all that, I strongly believe that with time, virtually all of them , including the undecided and even those who didn’t agree with me at all will eventually come to join me in the PDP. I have no doubt about that.

Look, I made it clear to them that whether they joined me or not, my relationship with everyone of them still remains cordial even politically.

Differences  on the basis of political platforms should not obliterate our natural instincts and the mantra driving our commitment towards providing good governance, and advancing the course of humanity and society as politicians or political office-holders.

For me, I will continue the implementation of my various constituency projects and champion the cause for improved well-being of all my constituents as I have always done, and, even more.

For me, political party platform is just like a vehicle which one joins to get to a destination. If the vehicle breaks down while you are on transit, the wise and pragmatic thing to do is to get down from the vehicle, and, get into a functional vehicle available at the time and continue on your journey to make sure you get to your destination.

For instance, it is on record that His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi even before he joined the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) the party platform on which he governed Anambra state for two consecutive tenures of eight years, initially wanted to run under the People Democratic Party platform before he clinched the APGA ticket. Also, he was later to join the PDP as the vice-presidential candidate on a joint ticket with the former Vice-president , Atiku Abubakar, who was the party’s presidential candidate.

Also, even as we speak,  a discussion is ongoing between  with some key political figures in the country cutting across different political parties, including the PDP, APC, Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the possibility of forming a mega-party.

Also at home here, the LP governorship candidate in the 2023 general election, His Excellency, Barr Chijioke Edeoga, has rejoined the PDP. So, emphasis should not be placed so much on political party platforms but on the integrity of a person and those he is associating with at any point in time.