Ahead of the 2027 general election, the former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has officially decamped to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Obi, the former Anambra State governor, urged Nigerians and opposition forces to unite under a broad national coalition to rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity, and democratic decline.
He announced his defection at the Nike Lake Resort, Enugu, on Wednesday, where he delivered a New Year address, accusing the current political leadership of state capture, economic mismanagement, and systematic erosion of democratic values.
”This decision is guided solely by patriotism and national interest. I now respectfully call on my political associates, the Obedient 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.”
Presenting his defection as part of a larger national mission, Obi said Nigeria had reached a critical turning point and could no longer afford politics of division.
”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.”
Obi described Nigeria as a nation in deep distress, citing widespread poverty, unemployment, and insecurity, saying, “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 stated, rejecting claims that Nigeria’s crisis was inevitable, arguing that leadership failure, not lack of resources, was responsible.
”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.”
Obi accused the political elite of deliberately exploiting ethnic and religious divisions to remain in power.
”Their expertise lies in creating more divisions to sustain themselves in office. With little or no interest in unity or inclusive development.”
Obi issued a strong warning over the integrity of future elections, insisting that reforms of the electoral system were non-negotiable.
He cautioned against attempts to rig the 2027 general elections.
Obi criticised the Federal Government’s tax reforms, describing them as anti-people and economically counterproductive.
He described reports of a forged tax law as a dangerous precedent. “A tax regime founded on forgery cannot build trust, unity, or prosperity.”
Positioning his defection as a strategic move toward 2027, Obi said opposition unity was essential to defeating what he described as a government that thrives on division and propaganda.
