Former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), calling for a united opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 polls.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, announced his defection on Wednesday at the Nike Lake Resort in Enugu during a New Year address. He urged Nigerians and opposition leaders to unite under what he described as a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.”
Explaining his decision, Obi accused the current political leadership of state capture, economic mismanagement and the systematic erosion of democratic values.
“This decision is guided solely by patriotism and national interest,” he 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.”
Obi described his move as part of a larger national mission, insisting that Nigeria had reached a critical turning point and could no longer afford politics driven by division.
“As the year 2025 ends today, we stand on the threshold of a new beginning,” he said. “For Nigeria, moments of profound national challenge demand clarity of purpose and decisive action. That moment is now.”
He painted a grim picture of the country’s current state, citing widespread poverty, unemployment and insecurity. According to him, more than 130 million Nigerians are living in multidimensional poverty, while over 80 million youths are unemployed.
“This is not the destiny God bequeathed to over 220 million Nigerians,” Obi said.
Rejecting claims that Nigeria’s crisis is inevitable, Obi argued that leadership failure—not lack of resources—is at the root of the country’s problems.
“As a nation, we are not poor; we are looted into poverty. Nigeria is not broken; Nigeria is severely betrayed,” he said, adding that the system rewards mediocrity while stifling competence.
He accused the political elite of deliberately exploiting ethnic and religious divisions to retain power, saying such tactics have hindered unity and inclusive development.
Obi also raised concerns about the integrity of future elections, warning that electoral reforms were non-negotiable and cautioning against any attempt to manipulate the 2027 general elections.
Drawing comparisons, he cited Indonesia as an example of how leadership choices shape national outcomes. “Indonesia and Nigeria started with similar characteristics, but while Indonesia is now a trillion-dollar economy, Nigeria is grappling with de-industrialisation, corruption and deepening poverty,” he said.
The former presidential candidate also criticised the Federal Government’s tax reforms, describing them as anti-people and economically harmful. He warned that reports of a forged tax law set a dangerous precedent, noting that “a tax regime founded on forgery cannot build trust, unity or prosperity.”
Positioning his defection as a strategic step toward 2027, Obi stressed that opposition unity was crucial to defeating what he described as “a government that thrives on division and propaganda.”
