The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has officially defected from the LP to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), declaring that the move marks the beginning of a rescue journey for Nigeria.
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Obi announced the decision on Tuesday during a political rally at the Nike Lake Resort Hotel in Enugu, joining the ADC alongside several political leaders from the South-East geopolitical zone and his former supporters from the Labour Party.
“We are ending this year with the hope that in 2026 we will begin a journey of rescue of our country for proper socioeconomic development that will be unifying and inclusive,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor, who came third in the 2023 general election, warned against any attempt to manipulate the 2027 elections.
“Those who are planning to rig election in Nigeria come 2027, we will resist it by every means lawful and legitimate,” he declared to cheers from the crowd.
Obi clarified that he had been part of the ADC coalition from its inception, dismissing speculation about defection.
“I was part of this coalition from day one. I was part of it when it was being discussed. I was part of it when it was launched,” he said.
The former governor took aim at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing it as a weak institution and calling for strict adherence to electoral rules, particularly on educational qualifications for candidates.
“We have one year now to determine who went to school and who didn’t go to school. We have one year now for people to tell us the school they attended and when they left that school. We don’t want it to be something we go to court after election and they say it’s a pre-election matter,” he stated.
Obi shared insights from his extensive travels and consultations with global leaders and experts, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame, former Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor James Robinson of Chicago University.
He noted that Rwanda’s GDP per capita grew from $227 in 1995 to $1,100 today, a growth of over 500 per cent, while Nigeria’s GDP per capita fell from $1,225 in 1995 to below $1,000 today.
“30 years after, for the giant of Africa. We cannot continue this way. Our people are in pain,” Obi lamented.
The former governor identified unity and competent leadership as the two critical factors needed to transform Nigeria, citing Indonesia’s success story.
“In all the studies, one thing is very clear: unity and competent leadership. Indonesia today is a commendable success. They have become one of the trillion-dollar economies, the first in Southeast Asia, about $1.4 trillion today, with per capita of $5,300. Nigeria’s GDP has halved from what it was 10 years ago,” he said.
Obi criticised the current administration’s tax reform agenda, arguing that taxation is a social contract that requires empowering citizens first.
“How can you tax people who are unemployed? We have 130 million people living in multidimensional poverty. We have 80 million Nigerians, young Nigerians who are unemployed and you’re talking about tax. You can’t grow revenue when people are starving,” he said.
He described Nigeria as having become “a crime scene,” lamenting that the country is now called “fantastically corrupt” and a “disgraced nation.”
“We have a situation where we said we are fighting corruption, but we have monumental corruption in front of us. We borrowed more money than we have ever borrowed. We saved none of the money we are supposed to save, and yet our people are dying of hunger,” Obi stated.
The former governor called on all opposition parties to unite against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“All the opposition must come together for the sake of Nigeria, whether you are PDP, NNPP, or any other party. We are faced with existential threats which we must all fight for the sake of our children,” he said.
Obi outlined his vision for a new Nigeria focused on production rather than consumption, promising to cultivate the empty lands of the North and revive factories in the South to create employment.
“Those 80 million Nigerian youths, we must give them hope. Imagine when we empower 80 million youths, and those 80 million youths either employ themselves or add one more person, we won’t talk about unemployment in this country,” he said.
Several notable political figures were present at the declaration, including former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha; Senators Ben Obi, Victor Umeh, Tony Nwoye, Gilbert Nnaji, and Enyinnya Abaribe; former Ebonyi State Governor Sam Egwu; former Imo State Governor Achike Udenwa; Chief Onyema Ugochukwu; and Federal lawmaker representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Afam Ogene.
National leaders of the ADC were also in attendance, including former Senate President and National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark; former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal; former Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola; and other party chieftains from across the country.
However, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, the only Labour Party governor, declined to join Obi in the move to ADC, insisting he remains a member of the Labour Party.
Obi expressed gratitude to the leaders present, including Achike Udenwa, Okwesilieze Nwodo, Sam Egwu, Ben Obi, and Abaribe, acknowledging them as his seniors in age and politics.
“We are not going to be a family of crime. We are not going to be a family to deprive other people. We are going to be a family of change, a family that will create a new Nigeria,” he declared.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to building a strong opposition platform capable of providing effective leadership and good governance for Nigeria under the ADC coalition led by Senator David Mark.
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