Ahead of the 2027 elections, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, officially defected to the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
According to Premium Times, the ex-Anambra governor announced the decision at an event held at the Nike Lake Resort, Enugu.
The Cable quoted Obi as saying: “We are ending this year with the hope that in 2026 we will begin a rescue journey. We will resist rigging of election by every lawful means in 2027.
“We still have a one-year window for everyone to go and verify the schools they attended. “We do not want to return to court again only to be told it is a pre-election matter.
The pre-election process should start now.” David Mark, national chairman of the ADC, was among the attendees.
Peter Obi leaves Labour Party for ADC
In this analysis, Legit.ng highlights five advantages of Obi formerly joining the ADC.
1) Strengthening national coalition against APC
Peter Obi is hardly a political outsider, but the bespectacled former governor says he is looking to harness Nigerians’ anger with the status quo to power his opposition-party presidential bid.
Obi, 61, has generated substantial buzz among younger voters in Africa’s most populous democracy, where the average age is 18, but the president – and both at least two major-party aspirants for the 2027 election – are septuagenarian political veterans.
His followers, known as “Obidients,” believe he can address Nigeria’s pressing challenges, including concerning insecurity, large-scale oil theft, and allegations of widespread corruption, issues that persist a decade after the All Progressives Congress (APC) promised to eradicate them.
2) Expanding reach beyond LP base
The ADC is gaining ground in the North, and Obi, undoubtedly the Southeast’s most widely accepted political figure, is expected to help consolidate support in the region.
The people of Nigeria’s Southeast region have a long history of complaining about marginalisation within the Nigerian state, citing a range of political, economic, and social inequalities that have persisted across successive administrations.
3) ADC: Presenting a unified opposition front
The ADC has been adopted as the unified platform for Nigeria’s main opposition coalition to challenge the ruling APC in the 2027 general elections.
This move is a significant political realignment aimed at consolidating various opposition figures under a single banner.
4) Obi: Sign of political maturity, flexibility
The momentum Obi built was huge; he benefited from the political awakening of millions of young people.
Obi continues to embody the hopes of millions of Nigerian youths, who represent the country’s biggest voter base if they turn out in large numbers.
In his quest to “rescue Nigeria,” it would not be surprising if he agrees to become the ADC’s vice-presidential candidate.
(5) Obi to ADC: Negotiating power-sharing
The ADC was adopted as a platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s APC. Leading the ADC coalition is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Obi, both runners-up in the 2023 presidential election.
They are joined by other experienced politicians, including former Peoples Democratic Parry (PDP) national chairman Uche Secondus, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and former minister of transportation Rotimi Amaechi.
Although the candidates have not been officially announced, political commentators are predicting that 79-year-old Atiku will have another shot at the presidency. Atiku’s supporters feel that with him being the only former vice president seeking the presidency, every other politician naturally comes second.
Atiku may offer Obi the vice-presidential slot on a joint single-term ticket, an offer Obi could accept to help the Southeast achieve its long-held presidential ambition.
