The defection of the former Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has injected fresh momentum into opposition politics and reignited calculations ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly in the South East.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, formally announced his defection yesterday at the Nike Lake Resort, Enugu, during a New Year’s address, calling on Nigerians and opposition leaders to unite under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.”

The move is widely seen as a major boost for the ADC, a relatively marginal party now repositioning itself as the platform for a united opposition.

Apart from Obi, some serving lawmakers from the South East have also joined the ADC, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, some federal lawmakers from Anambra State: Uchenna Harris Okonkwo, Emeka Idu Godwin, Ozodinobi George, Victor Afamefuna Ogene and Lilian Obiageli Orogbu. Senators Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) and Tony Nwoye (Anambra South) who were with him during the defection ceremony are also expected to announce their formal party switch.

Political observers say Obi’s entry has effectively planted the ADC’s flag in the South East, a region where his popularity remains strong following his performance in the 2023 presidential election.

Several prominent political figures from the zone attended the event, including former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha; Senators Victor Umeh, Tony Nwoye, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Sam Egwu, Ben Obi and Gilbert Nnaji; Chief Onyema Ugochukwu as well as serving and former members of the National Assembly.

Other ADC’s leaders in attendance were former Senate President and national chairman of the party, David Mark; former Sokoto State governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal; former governors from the South-East and other dignitaries.

‘Nigeria at a critical juncture’

In his address, Obi accused Nigeria’s political leadership of state capture, economic mismanagement and the systematic erosion of democratic values, warning that the country had reached a moment of profound national danger.

According to him, political elites have sustained themselves by exploiting ethnic and religious divisions, while millions of Nigerians remain trapped in poverty and unemployment.

“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.

“This is not the destiny God bequeathed to over 220 million Nigerians,” Obi said. “Nigeria is not poor by nature; Nigeria has been looted into poverty,” Obi said.

He described the country as “severely betrayed,” arguing that the nation’s challenges stem from leadership failure rather than lack of capacity among its people. “The average Nigerian is not lazy or incompetent. The system is rigged to reward mediocrity and recycle failure.”

Obi urged members of the Obidient Movement, civil society actors and opposition leaders across the country to rally around the ADC as a vehicle for national renewal.

He warned: “History will not forgive silence in moments of national peril. As the year 2025 ends today (yesterday), 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 also raised concerns about the credibility of future elections, insisting that comprehensive electoral reforms were non-negotiable if public trust in democracy was to be restored. He warned against any attempt to manipulate the 2027 general elections, stressing that credible polls were central to national stability.

He vowed that the opposition will resist any attempt to rig the 2027 elections, warning the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to strictly follow the rules and regulations.

“And we are saying that those who are planning to rig elections in Nigeria come 2027, we will resist it by every means lawful and legitimate. This happens because we have weak institutions like the 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 qualification for eligibility to contest or seek any election.

“We can no longer be in a situation where they are asking whether this person went to school or not. We have one year now to determine who went to school and who didn’t go to school,” he said.

“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, accusing political leaders of prioritising division over unity and inclusive development.

Drawing from his international engagements, Obi compared Nigeria’s development trajectory with that of Indonesia, noting that both countries began with similar population sizes and economic potential but had taken divergent paths. “While Indonesia is now a trillion-dollar economy, Nigeria is grappling with de-industrialisation, corruption and deepening poverty,” he said.

Obi said his move to the ADC was strategic, arguing that opposition unity was essential to defeating what he described as a government that thrives on division and propaganda.

Atiku welcomes Obi

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday welcomed Obi to the ADC, describing his defection as a significant moment in the evolution of political coalitions in Nigeria.

“It is my pleasure to welcome him officially, as we look forward to a robust working relationship that will foster a virile opposition—one that will ultimately form a government capable of bringing prosperity and peace to our people,” Atiku said.

He expressed optimism that Obi’s defection would galvanise support for the coalition across the country. “As the ADC coalition train leaves Enugu, the capital of the South East, I hope this inspires other patriots to join the cause, with the train headed in their direction,” he added.

Atiku’s statement has further fuelled speculation about the ADC’s 2027 presidential ticket, particularly whether he would contest again or make room for another candidate within the coalition.

What ADC said about choice of presidential candidate

In a previous interview, Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, had said the party had not yet decided on its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election but was focused on building robust party structures nationwide rather than settling the ticket.

In September after the party’s national caucus meeting, Abdullahi said the party was considering leaving its presidential ticket open for all eligible aspirants from the North and South ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said the aspirants had all agreed to rally behind any eventual winner of the presidential primary to ensure party unity and victory at the poll in 2027.

Otti stays in Labour Party

Meanwhile, Abia State Governor Alex Otti has ruled out defecting from the Labour Party despite Obi’s exit. Speaking during a media chat, Otti said he had chosen to remain in the party to help rebuild and reposition it.

Otti said Obi personally informed him of his intention to defect and that he had no objection to the decision.

“I joined the Labour Party before Peter Obi, so I did not join the party with him,” Otti said. “He communicated to me that he was leaving the Labour Party. I gave him my blessings. But I will remain in the Labour Party and continue the struggle to rescue it.”

He also dismissed suggestions that he might join the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite recent overtures from the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.

Obi’s defection has liberated us – LP

Reacting to Obi’s defection, the Labour Party said it had parted ways with its former presidential candidate and some of his supporters as far back as 2024.

In a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the party described Obi’s exit as long overdue and even asked Nigerians to forgive it for fielding what it called an “unfitting” presidential candidate in the 2023 election.

He said the party had been liberated by Obi’s defection, accusing him and Otti of sponsoring the crisis that engulfed the party and the challenge to the leadership of Julius Abure.

“Time has since proved that we made the greatest political mistake,” he said, adding that the party was already working on a new political direction.

Presidency, APC downplay defection

In a series of tweets on his official X handle, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, described Obi as a “nomadic politician continuing a wild goose chase.”

“PDP–APGA–PDP–Labour–ADC: the wandering spirit will still end up as a second fiddle or campaign director-general. That is how your political trajectory will be if your adviser is a madman,” he wrote.

In another post, Bwala dismissed the ADC as the “Association of Destructive Coalition,” alleging that the group was forming a coalition “to do this to our country.”

Similarly, in a post on his social media platforms, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy said Obi was only going to ADC to be the vice-presidential candidate to Atiku.

While describing Obi as a bitter politician still smacking from his defeat at the polls in the last election, Onanuga said he references to books, professors, and other nations to buttress his belief that he (Obi) has learnt from the masters and that Nigeria should be entrusted to him, should not be taken seriously, adding that countries need homegrown ideas and policies to survive rather than copycats.

He said President Tinubu has achieved so much in the last two years, saying Obi’s posturing should be taken with a pinch of salt, “coming from a politician who was an abysmal failure in a small state like Anambra, which he governed for 8 years.”

Onanuga wrote, “I watched as Peter Obi, the former Labour Party presidential candidate, formally joined the ADC after abandoning the party he had used to pursue his ill-fated presidential ambition.

“About three years after the 2023 election, Obi, the wandering politician — who moved from APGA to PDP to Labour and now ADC — still sounded bitter about coming third.”

Onanuga said Obi continues to claim he was robbed of victory, even though empirical analyses of the poll showed he could not have won and was fortunate to even emerge third because of the anomalous polling figures recorded for him in his South East region.

“At his event, Obi’s bitterness was evident. What concerned me most were his references to books, professors, and other nations to buttress his belief that he has learnt from the masters and that Nigeria should be entrusted to him because he claims to know the secrets of national development.

“This posturing should be taken with a pinch of salt, coming from a politician who was an abysmal failure in a small state like Anambra, which he governed for 8 years.

“Because Obi sorely lacks the leadership pedigree, beyond being a successful importer, only the madman he consults in Onitsha would be comfortable handing over Nigeria to him,” Onanuga said.

According to him, “Obi is so blind that he cannot see all these achievements, as he jumped from Labour to ADC, where he will play second fiddle and end up being Atiku’s running mate in 2027, like we witnessed in 2019.”

Also, the Lagos State chapter of the APC dismissed Obi’s defection as inconsequential, describing it as the unveiling of a coalition driven by grievance rather than ideology.

In a statement, the party’s spokesman, Seye Oladejo, said the move merely confirmed what he called Obi’s “well-documented record of political promiscuity.”

Atiku, Obi can leverage public sentiments – Political scientist

Obi’s defection has also revived permutations around the ADC’s presidential ticket. While Atiku has indicated interest in contesting, it remains unclear whether Obi, who has vowed to be on the ballot in 2027, will accept a vice-presidential slot.

A political scientist, Prof. Gbade Ojo, said Obi’s move to the ADC was not unexpected, arguing that other opposition parties had been weakened or destabilised.

He said Obi could only emerge as the party’s presidential candidate if Atiku stepped aside. Otherwise, his most realistic option would be to run as Atiku’s running mate.

“If Atiku surrenders, Peter Obi will run. If Atiku insists on running, then Obi becomes his running mate. That combination will be a big blow to President Tinubu because Christians will prefer to vote for Peter Obi irrespective of ethnic background,” he said.

But with Atiku in the ballot, the best bet for him is to be his running mate, saying the pair would be widely accepted across geopolitical and religious lines unlike the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket which he noted has been “mismanaged.”

He said, “So we know the only option for him (Obi) is ADC. He couldn’t have gone to PDP or Labour that had been disrupted by the ruling party. ADC is the only virgin party that they can go to, to fight the 2027 battle.

“And the possibilities can be calculated to one, If Atiku should surrender, Peter Obi will run. If Atiku agrees for a power shift which ruins them in 2023 and if Atiku is running by force, Peter Obi will be his running mate. And that will be a very big blow to President Tinubu because Christians will prefer to vote for Peter Obi irrespective of his ethnic background.”

Ojo added that the coalition could capitalise on public dissatisfaction over insecurity, economic hardship and what he described as over-taxation under the current administration. (Daily Trust)

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