Former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi has criticised the wave of defections by political leaders to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that democracy must not be reduced to political coercion.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, Obi reacted to the recent defection of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah to the APC, and the resignation of Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri from the PDP.
"We are not in a military time when you capture people," Obi said, dismissing suggestions that regions, particularly the South-East, could be politically "captured" through alignments or defections.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Gov Diri, Other Lawmakers Resign from PDP
Obi, who described Governor Mbah as a personal friend, acknowledged that leaders are free to make political choices but stressed that legitimacy cannot be forced.
"I believe that as governor, he must have taken his decision based on his own political views and calculations," he said.
The former Anambra State governor insisted that true leadership rests on persuasion, performance and service to the people.
"You are a leader. You tend to do the right things for them to follow you. So I don’t think anybody is capturing anywhere," he said.
Calling on public officials to focus on governance, Obi warned that political manoeuvres alone cannot secure public loyalty.
"The government needs to do more if it wants the people to support it," he said.
Obi, therefore, urged the Federal Government and state leaders to deliver tangible improvements in citizens’ lives, saying only good governance, not political realignments, can win sustainable support.
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