Former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has officially defected to the African Democratic Congress.
Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, called on Nigerians and opposition blocs to close ranks under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.”
The former candidate announced his defection on Wednesday at the Nike Lake Resort, Enugu, during a New Year address in which he accused the present political leadership of state capture, poor economic management 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.
Framing his exit from the Labour Party as part of a wider national objective, Obi said Nigeria had arrived at a defining moment and could no longer tolerate politics rooted in 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,” he said.
He portrayed Nigeria as a country under severe strain, pointing to deepening poverty, rising unemployment and worsening 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 dismissed arguments that Nigeria’s predicament was unavoidable, insisting that poor leadership rather than limited resources was to blame.
“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 alleged that the political class intentionally fuels ethnic and religious divisions as a strategy for retaining 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 issued a firm warning on the credibility of future polls, stressing that comprehensive electoral reforms were unavoidable.
He cautioned against any efforts to manipulate the 2027 general elections.
Referencing his international engagements, Obi compared Nigeria’s direction with nations that had recorded rapid progress through unity and purposeful leadership.
He cited Indonesia as an illustration of how leadership decisions shape national outcomes. “Indonesia and Nigeria started with similar characteristics,” Obi noted, “but while Indonesia is now a trillion-dollar economy, Nigeria is grappling with de-industrialisation, corruption and deepening poverty.”
Obi criticised the Federal Government’s tax reforms, describing them as anti-people and harmful to economic growth.
He described reports of a forged tax law as a dangerous precedent. “A tax regime founded on forgery cannot build trust, unity or prosperity,” Obi said.
Casting his defection as a calculated move ahead of 2027, Obi said opposition unity remained crucial to unseating what he described as “a government that thrives on division and propaganda.”
