Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has left the Labour Party, from which he secured his ticket to contest the 2023 election, and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a platform adopted by President Bola Tinubu’s opposition to unseat the All Progressive Party (APC) leader in the coming 2027 general elections.
Aside from Obi, other political leaders from the South-East geopolitical zone have officially declared for the ADC.
According to them, the decision to join the ADC and collaborate with other opposition leaders, made after months of consultations, was aimed at “rescuing Nigeria from the poor governance of the APC.”
They were welcomed into the party by the Senate President and National Chairman of the ADC, David Mark; former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal; and former governors from the South-East, at an event held at the Nike Lake Resort.
Those present included former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Emeka Ihedioha; Senators Ben Obi, Victor Umeh, Tony Nwoye, and Gilbert Nnaji; Chief Onyema Ugochukwu; Enyinnya Abaribe; Senator Sam Egwu; as well as several other senators and members of the House of Representatives.
In his speech at the event, Peter Obi said the move to the ADC marks the beginning of the journey to rescue the country from the APC.
“Today is an important day; today is the last day of 2025, so we are ending this year with the hope that, in 2026, we will begin a journey to rescue our country for proper socio-economic development that will be unifying and inclusive.
“We have all watched those who benefited from our democracy, over time, become accessories to destroying it, either through coercion or gangsterism against the opposition. We cannot allow this to happen; we will resist it,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor also vowed that the opposition will resist any attempt to rig the 2027 elections, warning the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strictly follow the rules and regulations.
“And we are saying that those who plan to rig elections in Nigeria come 2027, we will resist by every lawful and legitimate means. This happens because we have weak institutions like INEC, which we are urging to act properly in the coming election.
“We must do whatever it takes to follow the rules and regulations, starting from educational qualifications for eligibility to contest or seek any election.
“We can no longer be in a situation where they are questioning whether a person went to school or not. We have one year now to determine who went to school and who didn’t,” he added.
