Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, has officially joined the coalition-backed by African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Obi announced his defection in Enugu on Wednesday, December 31.
The former governor of Anambra said his defection ahead of the 2027 election is aimed at transforming and rescuing Nigeria.
“We are ending this year with the hope that in 2026 we will begin a rescue journey,” he declared.
“We will resist rigging of the election by every lawful means in 2027, he added.
Obi also urged opposition leaders to come together as a family under the leadership of David Mark to rescue Nigeria.
Those present at the event included former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha; Senators Ben Obi, Victor Umeh, Tony Nwoye, and Gilbert Nnaji; Chief Onyema Ugochukwu; Enyinnya Abaribe; Senator Sam Egwu; as well as several other Senators and members of the House of Representatives.
Other party leaders from across the country were also in attendance, including former Senate President and National Chairman of the ADC, David Mark; former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal; former governors from the South-East; and other dignitaries.
Peter Obi, a former two-term governor of Anambra State, has moved across several political platforms in his career. He governed the state under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) before leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Labour Party to contest the 2023 presidential election.
Obi’s latest defection comes about a month after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar defected to the ADC on November 24, 2025.
Atiku had been a long-time member of the PDP, where he served as vice president between 1999 and 2007. He later left the party for the now-defunct Action Congress (AC) to contest the 2007 presidential election, returned to the PDP, and later joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014.
He eventually left the APC and returned to the PDP, flying its flag in the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections.
Both Obi and Atiku are among those eyeing the ADC’s presidential ticket as they prepare to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC in the 2027 general election.
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