Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has formally announced his exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The development follows an earlier report by the publication indicating that Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso were considering leaving the party.
In a statement released on Sunday, Obi explained that his decision was driven by persistent internal challenges within the ADC, including “endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division”.
“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 wrote on his X page.
He further alleged that the same forces he accused of destabilising the Labour Party appear to be emerging within 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.
“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.
“And when you choose to leave so that those you are leaving can have peace, and you step out into the cold, you are still maligned and your character is questioned. Despite all your efforts to continue working for a better Nigeria and engaging people with sincerity and goodwill, those who do not wish you well continue to attack your character and question your intentions.
“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, especially when invested in critical areas like education and healthcare, wrongly labelled as stinginess? Why are humility and obedience to the rule of law often taken to be weakness rather than discipline?”
Obi emphasised that his political ambition is secondary to national progress, noting that he is not fixated on occupying public office.
“I am desperate to see a society that can console a mother whose child has been kidnapped or killed while going to school or work,” he said.
“I am desperate to see a Nigeria where people will not live in IDP camps but in their homes. I am desperate for a country where Nigerian citizens do not go to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal will come from.”
