Former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has officially left the party for the African Democratic Congress, urging opposition figures to unite ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi announced his defection on Wednesday during a New Year address at the Nike Lake Resort in Enugu, where he accused the current political leadership of poor governance, economic mismanagement and weakening Nigeria’s democracy.
The former Anambra State governor said his decision was driven by patriotism and the need to build a broad national coalition to address Nigeria’s challenges.
“This decision is guided solely by patriotism and national interest,” Obi said. “I now respectfully call on my political associates, the Obidient Movement and opposition leaders across the country to join this broad national coalition under the African Democratic Congress. History will not forgive silence in moments of national peril.”
He said Nigeria had reached a critical point and could no longer afford politics based on division and self-interest.
“As the year 2025 ends today, we stand on the threshold of a new beginning,” Obi said. “For Nigeria, moments of profound national challenge demand clarity of purpose and decisive action. That moment is now.”
Obi described the country as being in deep crisis, pointing to rising poverty, youth unemployment and insecurity across the nation.
“With over 130 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty and more than 80 million youths unemployed, our people are in persistent agony,” he said. “This is not the destiny God bequeathed to over 220 million Nigerians.”
He rejected claims that Nigeria’s situation was unavoidable, insisting that leadership failure was the root cause of the problems.
“As a nation, we are not poor; we are looted into poverty,” Obi said. “Nigeria is not broken; Nigeria is severely betrayed. The average Nigerian is not lazy or incompetent, but the system is rigged to reward mediocrity and recycle failure.”
The former presidential candidate also accused the political elite of using ethnic and religious divisions to stay in power.
“Their expertise lies in creating more divisions to sustain themselves in office, with little or no interest in unity or inclusive development,” he said.
Obi warned that electoral reforms were crucial ahead of 2027, cautioning against any attempt to manipulate future elections. He said credible elections were non-negotiable if Nigeria was to move forward.
Drawing comparisons with other countries, Obi said Nigeria’s decline was a result of leadership choices, not lack of potential.
“Indonesia and Nigeria started with similar characteristics,” he said. “But while Indonesia is now a trillion-dollar economy, Nigeria is grappling with de-industrialisation, corruption and deepening poverty.”
He also criticised the Federal Government’s tax reforms, describing them as harmful to citizens and the economy.
“A tax regime founded on forgery cannot build trust, unity or prosperity,” Obi said, referring to reports of irregularities surrounding the tax law.
Positioning his move to the ADC as part of preparations for 2027, Obi stressed that opposition unity was the only way to challenge what he described as a government sustained by division and propaganda.
