Former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi, has officially announced his defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, used the occasion to appeal to Nigerians and opposition groups to come together under a broad national alliance aimed at what he described as rescuing the country from poverty, division, and democratic decline.
He made the announcement on Wednesday at the Nike Lake Resort in Enugu during a New Year address, where he criticised the current political leadership, accusing it of state capture, economic mismanagement, and the steady weakening of democratic institutions.
“This decision is guided solely by patriotism and national interest. 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.
Obi presented his move to the ADC as part of a wider national assignment, stressing that Nigeria had reached a decisive moment and could no longer sustain politics built on division.
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“As the year 2025 ends today, we stand on the threshold of a new beginning. For Nigeria, moments of profound national challenge demand clarity of purpose and decisive action. That moment is now,” he said.
He painted a grim picture of the country’s condition, pointing to high levels of poverty, youth unemployment and insecurity.
“With over 130 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty and more than 80 million youths unemployed, our people are in persistent agony. This is not the destiny God bequeathed to over 220 million Nigerians.
“Nigeria is looted into poverty,” Obi said.
Rejecting suggestions that Nigeria’s challenges were unavoidable, Obi argued that poor leadership, rather than scarcity of resources, was at the heart of the crisis.
“As a nation, we are not poor; we are looted into poverty. 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,” he said.
He further accused the political class of deliberately deepening ethnic and religious divisions in order to retain 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 also raised concerns about the credibility of future elections, insisting that comprehensive electoral reforms were essential and warning against any attempt to manipulate the 2027 general elections.
Drawing from his international exposure, he compared Nigeria’s development path with that of other countries that had achieved rapid growth through purposeful leadership and national cohesion.
Citing Indonesia as an example, Obi said, “Indonesia and Nigeria started with similar characteristics,” but noted that while Indonesia had grown into a trillion-dollar economy, Nigeria was battling de-industrialisation, corruption and worsening poverty.
He criticised the Federal Government’s tax reforms, describing them as anti-people and harmful to economic growth, and condemned reports of a forged tax law.
“A tax regime founded on forgery cannot build trust, unity or prosperity,” Obi said.
Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, Obi described his defection as a strategic step, insisting that opposition unity was crucial to challenging what he termed “a government that thrives on division and propaganda.”
