Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has confirmed his exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing internal crises and divisions within the party.
In a statement on Sunday, Obi said his decision was driven by “endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division,” which he noted were undermining the party’s focus on national issues.
“Let me state clearly: my decision to leave the ADC is not because our highly respected chairman, Senator David Mark, treated me badly, nor because my leader and elder brother, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other respected leaders did anything personally wrong to me. I will continue to respect them,” he said.
Obi alleged that the same forces he blamed for crises within the Labour Party had begun to affect the ADC.
“However, the same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC, with endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division, instead of focusing on deeper national problems and playing politics built more on control and exclusion than on service and nation-building,” he added.
He further lamented what he described as a culture of mistrust and misinterpretation of genuine efforts in Nigeria’s political space.
“Even within spaces where one labours sincerely, one is sometimes treated like an outsider in one’s own home. You and your team become easy targets for every failure, frustration, or misunderstanding, as though honest contribution has become a favour being tolerated rather than appreciated,” Obi said.
Reflecting on his experiences, he questioned societal attitudes towards integrity and accountability.
“There are moments I ask God in prayer: Why is doing the right thing often misconstrued as wrongdoing in our country? Why is integrity not valued? Why is the prudent management of resources… wrongly labelled as stinginess?” he said.
Despite his exit, Obi reiterated his commitment to national development, stressing that his ambition is not driven by the pursuit of political office.
“I am not desperate to be president, vice-president, or senate president. I am desperate to see a society that can console a mother whose child has been kidnapped or killed… I am desperate for a country where Nigerian citizens do not go to bed hungry,” he said.
His departure adds to growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election.
