Peter Obi Plans Move to ADC – Party Officials

A former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, is reportedly planning to formally join the African Democratic Congress amid ongoing consultations ahead of the 2027 general elections.

An ADC official in Abuja told Punch that “Obi had concluded plans to join the party and hold a declaration rally in Enugu, the political capital of the South-East, on December 31.”

According to the source, Obi met with ADC national chairman David Mark about three weeks ago after the party asked him to decide whether he would join its coalition.

Supporters of the former Anambra State governor have already begun preparations for the planned declaration, the official claimed.

“We are aware that Obi is making plans to declare for the ADC on December 31 in Enugu. Although he has yet to formally inform the party, the plans are genuine,” the source said.

Explaining why the declaration would take place in Enugu rather than Obi’s home state of Anambra, the official responded, “Enugu is the political capital of the South-East. Obi is representing the region, not just his state. That must have informed his decision.”

However, the ADC’s national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said there had been no formal confirmation of Obi’s defection.

“There is no official announcement yet. But consultations are ongoing,” Abdullahi said.

Former Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal (left); ex-National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi; Acting National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; and Acting National Chairman of the ADC, David Mark, during the adoption of the ADC by members of the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement in Nigeria (NCPOMN), at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. Credit: Peter Obi on X

Obi announced his support for the ADC-led opposition coalition in July, claiming that the choice was made after careful consideration of Nigeria’s present problems and the need for coordinated action.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Obi wrote in a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) page.

“It comes from deep reflection on where we are as a country and what must be done to move forward. No one group can change Nigeria alone. To dismantle the structures that keep our people in poverty and insecurity, we must build bridges, not walls—even when those bridges are uneasy.”

He made the comments following the official unveiling of the ADC as the political platform adopted by the coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.

The event, held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, brought together a range of opposition leaders and former public officials from the LP, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and other political blocs.