Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has officially announced his departure from the African Democratic Congress in a lengthy, emotionally candid statement on Sunday morning, revealing a pattern of state-orchestrated disruption, personal pain, and quiet betrayal by associates — while insisting he harbours no bitterness toward senior party figures including David Mark and Atiku Abubakar.
A Statement Written From Church
The former Anambra governor set the tone of his statement with unusual candour from the very first lines, framing his departure not merely as a political decision but as a deeply personal reckoning.
“I woke up this morning after my church service with a deeply reflective heart, and despite every constraint, I felt compelled to share these thoughts with you,” Obi wrote on his official social media platforms on Sunday morning. “Many people do not truly understand the silent pains some of us carry daily — the private struggles, emotional burdens, and quiet battles we face while trying to survive and serve sincerely in difficult circumstances.”
The State’s Invisible Hand
At the core of Obi’s explanation was a pointed allegation that the Nigerian state and its agents had deliberately engineered the collapse of the ADC from within — mirroring what he said had already been done to the Labour Party before him.
“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,” Obi said, accusing the system of “playing politics built more on control and exclusion than on service and nation-building.”
No Blame for Mark or Atiku
In a gesture that analysts say was designed to pre-empt any suggestion of personal grievance against the ADC’s most prominent figures, Obi went out of his way to shield both its national chairman and his political patron from responsibility.
“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 plainly.
Betrayal Closer to Home
The more stinging portion of Obi’s statement was directed inward — at associates and allies who, he alleged, publicly stood with him while privately joining in unfair criticism or quietly distancing themselves.
“More painful is when some of those you associate with, believing you would find understanding and solidarity among them, become part of the pressure you face,” he wrote. “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.”
He also lamented what he described as a national culture that punishes virtue. “We live in a society where humility is mistaken for weakness, respect is seen as a lack of courage, and compassion is treated as foolishness,” Obi said, adding that treating people equally was often questioned “simply because you refuse to worship status, tribe, class, or power.”
“I Am Not Desperate for Power”
Obi pushed back firmly against any suggestion that his political movements were driven by personal ambition, drawing a sharp distinction between the presidency he seeks and the presidency he says others pursue.
“Let me assure all that I am not desperate to be President, Vice President, or Senate President,” he wrote. “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. 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.”
He closed with the signature phrase that has defined his movement since 2022. “I firmly believe that Nigeria can still become a country with competent leadership based on justice, compassion, and equal opportunity for all. A new Nigeria is POssible,” Obi wrote — the capital “PO” in “POssible,” a recurring stylistic mark widely understood by his supporters as a quiet nod to his own initials.
Context: A Party in Pieces
Obi’s departure comes less than 48 hours after NNPP chieftain Buba Galadima told supporters at an Abuja stakeholders’ meeting that both Obi and his ally Rabiu Kwankwaso would announce a new political platform on Monday. Sources close to the former governors had indicated they were concluding arrangements to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress, a newly established party linked to former Bayelsa governor Seriake Dickson.
The ADC has been convulsed by leadership litigation since Atiku Abubakar’s faction attempted to use the party as an umbrella opposition vehicle ahead of 2027 — a plan that now appears to be unravelling as some of its most prominent recruits head for the exit.
Peter Obi has not yet confirmed which platform he will formally present his 2027 presidential bid. Monday’s expected announcement is set to be among the most consequential days in Nigeria’s pre-election season.
