A member of the House of Representatives, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, on Tuesday gave an insight into the wave of defections from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition in recent days.

A former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso, who also contested the 2023 presidential poll, and some members of the National Assembly recently left the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), citing several issues, like multiple court cases.

Others cited the influence of certain members of the ADC, like ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar.

During his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Uzokwe, representing Nnewi North/Nnewi South/ Ekwusigo constituency in the House of Representatives, claimed that Atiku pushed them out of the ADC.

“We left ADC because His Excellency Atiku Abubakar said that the coalition was formed in his house, that ADC is his party, that nobody will tell him anything,” he said on the show.

Uzokwe said, “The ambition of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar is what killed the PDP.”

But Fabiyi accused the defectors, including Obi, of being scared of challenges, prompting their movement away from the ADC.

“Peter Obi is not a man who likes to face challenges; he is not a leader who wants to fight for the people; he wants to fight for himself,” the ADC chieftain said on the same show.

In June 2025, the opposition coalition adopted the ADC as its platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in next year’s election.

Apart from Atiku, other heavyweight politicians who teamed up with the party included ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi; a former Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola; ex-Senate President David Mark, among others.

But less than one year after this move into the coalition, the ADC has been marred by internal squabbles, court cases, and other issues.

The ADC accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of sabotaging the opposition, a claim the presidency has dismissed.

These prompted certain members like Obi, Kwankwaso, and others to defect from the party just less than one year before the 2027 elections. (Adapted from a Channels TV report)

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