UPDATED: Peter Obi finally dumps LP, joins ADC

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has officially defected from the LP to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

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Mr Obi announced the decision on Wednesday during a political rally at the Nike Lake Resort Hotel in Enugu.

“We are ending this year with the hope that in 2026 we will begin a journey of rescue of our country,” Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said.

“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.”

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The former governor joined the ADC alongside his LP supporters and politicians from other political parties.

Mr Obi argued that he was only formalising his membership of the ADC rather than defecting to the party, because he had been part of the conversations to form the opposition coalition group that adopted ADC as its platform for the 2027 general election.

“So, we have all come together to ensure that we become full members of this coalition of ADC led by Senator David Mark,” he said.

He urged members of other political parties interested in saving Nigeria from poor leadership to join the ADC and become a part of the “family” that will “rescue” the country.

“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. That is what the family is all about,” Mr Obi stated.

The former governor accused the President Bola Tinubu administration of “poor leadership”, citing the recently proposed tax regime.

More defections

Aside from Mr Obi, several politicians from the South-east also switched to the ADC during the event.

The Abia South Senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe, was among the politicians from the region who joined the ADC at the event.

“Let me announce that from this moment, I resign from the All Progressives Grand Alliance,” Mr Abaribe declared at the event.

“So, as of now, I am fully in ADC following my brother and our leader ,Mr Peter Obi,” he added.

Others who switched to the ADC during the event included the Anambra Central Senator, Victor Umeh (from LP), his Anambra North counterpart, Tony Nwoye (LP), and a former governor of Ebonyi State, Sam Egwu, from the PDP.

Another former PDP chieftain, Ben Obi, also defected to the ADC at the event.

A former Enugu East Senator, Gilbert Nnaji, who defected from the PDP to the ADC recently, also attended the event.

David Mark speaks

Speaking at the event, the National Chairperson of the ADC, David Mark, said the defections of the top politicians to the party would “impact heavily” on the national polity.

Mr Mark, a former president of the Nigerian Senate, congratulated Mr Obi and other defectors for their decision, assuring that the party gives every everyone and geopolitical zone a “genuine sense of belonging and equal opportunity.”

“Today’s event is not just a mere defection (to the ADC). It marks the foundation of a strong and winning coalition nationwide.

“The ADC is the emerging and credible alternative Nigerians are yearning for,” he said, urging the new defectors to mobilise new members into the party ahead of 2027.

Apart from Mr Mark and the defectors, a former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, his Imo State counterpart and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha also attended the event.

READ ALSO: No going back on new tax laws implementation from January 1 – Tinubu

Background

Earlier in 2025, some Nigerian politicians, drawn from various political parties in the country, formed the National Opposition Coalition Group to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.

The group adopted ADC as its platform for the 2027 general election in July.

The 2023 presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, was among those leading the coalition group.

Other promoters of the coalition include former Governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Rotimi Ameachi of Rivers State, Gabriel Suswam of Benue, and Sule Lamido of Jigawa State.

Mr Obi’s defection to the ADC occurred after months of intense leadership crisis in his former party, which had split into two factions.