Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has announced his exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), pointing to escalating internal tensions within the party and broader systemic challenges across Nigeria’s political landscape.
In a statement released Sunday via X, Obi said the decision came after a period of introspection, revealing that he had endured what he described as “silent pains” while navigating the country’s political space.
He painted a stark picture of Nigeria’s current environment, describing it as one increasingly defined by fear, distrust, and structural setbacks that hinder genuine service to the people.
“We now live in an environment that has become increasingly toxic, where the system that should protect and create opportunities often works against the people,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor also spoke about the pressures and criticisms he has faced within political circles, noting that alliances often prove unreliable.
“Some who publicly identify with you privately distance themselves or join in unfair criticism,” he stated, adding that humility is often misinterpreted as weakness in Nigeria’s political culture.
Obi clarified that his departure was not rooted in personal grievances with key figures in the party, including David Mark and Atiku Abubakar, both of whom he said he continues to hold in high regard.
According to him, the move was necessitated by persistent internal disputes and legal entanglements that have shifted the party’s focus away from pressing national concerns.
“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.
“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 said.
Obi emphasized that his political decisions are not driven by personal ambition but by a commitment to improving the country’s condition.
“I am not desperate to be President, Vice President or Senate President. I am desperate to see a Nigeria where people can live in dignity, without hunger, fear, or displacement,” he said.
Despite stepping away from the ADC, he reiterated his optimism about the nation’s future, maintaining that transformative leadership remains achievable.
“A new Nigeria is possible,” he declared.
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