Obi defects to ADC

Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, has officially defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, announced his defection during a New Year address at the Nike Lake Resort in Enugu.

He said his decision was driven by patriotism and the urgent need for a broad national coalition to confront what he described as Nigeria’s worsening economic, social and democratic challenges.

According to him, the country has reached a critical juncture where politics of division can no longer be sustained. He called on Nigerians, opposition leaders and members of the Obidient Movement to rally under the ADC as a unified platform to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.”

“This decision is guided solely by patriotism and national interest. I respectfully urge my political associates and opposition leaders across the country to join this broad national coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). History will not forgive silence in moments of national peril,” he said.

Framing his defection as part of a wider national mission, Obi said Nigeria was ending 2025 at a turning point that demanded clarity of purpose and decisive leadership. He argued that the country’s current condition was the result of leadership failure rather than a lack of human or material resources.

“Nigeria is not poor; Nigeria is looted into poverty. The nation is not broken; it has been betrayed. Our people are hardworking and capable, but the system rewards mediocrity and recycles failure,” he said.

Obi painted a grim picture of the country’s socio-economic state, citing widespread poverty, unemployment and insecurity.

He noted that more than 130 million Nigerians were living in multidimensional poverty, while over 80 million youths were unemployed, describing the situation as inconsistent with Nigeria’s potential and population size.

He also accused the political elite of deliberately exploiting ethnic and religious divisions to maintain power, arguing that such strategies had undermined national unity and inclusive development.

On electoral integrity, Obi warned that reforms were non-negotiable, stressing that the credibility of the 2027 general elections must be protected. He cautioned against any attempt to manipulate the electoral process, insisting that transparent elections were central to Nigeria’s democratic survival.

Drawing comparisons from his international engagements, Obi said countries with similar starting points to Nigeria had achieved significant growth through disciplined leadership and national cohesion.

He cited Indonesia as an example, noting that while both countries once shared comparable characteristics, Indonesia had grown into a trillion-dollar economy as Nigeria struggled with de-industrialisation, corruption and rising poverty.

Obi also criticised the Federal Government’s tax reforms, describing them as anti-people and economically counterproductive. He warned that allegations surrounding a forged tax law, if true, would set a dangerous precedent capable of eroding public trust and national cohesion.

Positioning his move to the ADC as a calculated step toward 2027, Obi said opposition unity remained the only viable path to unseating what he described as a government sustained by division and propaganda, adding that the task ahead required sacrifice, courage and collective action.

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