Former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has officially defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a coalition-backed political party, in a move that has drawn sharp criticism from presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga.
Obi announced his defection on Tuesday at an event held at the Nike Lake Resort, Enugu, describing the move as the start of a “rescue journey” ahead of the 2027 elections.
“We are ending this year with the hope that in 2026 we will begin a rescue journey,” Obi said. “We will resist rigging of election by every lawful means in 2027. The pre-election process should start now.”
The Enugu event was attended by prominent political figures, including ADC National Chairman David Mark, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, ex-Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, Senators Ben Obi, Victor Umeh, Tony Nwoye, Gilbert Nnaji, Enyinnya Abaribe, Sam Egwu, Onyema Ugochukwu, among others.
Obi had resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on May 25, 2022, citing “recent developments in the party [that] do not support constructive contributions.”
He subsequently joined the LP two days later and contested the 2023 presidential election, finishing third.
In reaction, Onanuga criticised Obi’s political trajectory, calling him a “wandering politician” still bitter over his 2023 election defeat. In a pointed post on X, Onanuga said:
“About three years after the 2023 election, Obi, the wandering politician who moved from APGA to PDP to Labour and now ADC still sounded bitter about coming third.”
Onanuga dismissed Obi’s claims of being “robbed,” citing “empirical analyses” that, in his view, showed Obi could not have won, including alleged irregularities in South-East votes.
He also criticised Obi’s references to foreign development models, calling them ineffective “copy-paste” ideas, and contrasted them with President Bola Tinubu’s reforms in subsidy removal, economic restructuring, infrastructure, and tax harmonisation.
He further remarked: “because Obi sorely lacks the leadership pedigree, beyond being a successful importer, only the madman he consults in Onitsha would be comfortable handing over Nigeria to him.”
Predicting Obi’s future role in the ADC, Onanuga suggested that the former LP candidate might become a secondary figure, possibly serving as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in 2027.
Obi’s defection marks another chapter in Nigeria’s shifting political landscape, setting the stage for intense pre-election manoeuvring as parties position themselves for 2027.
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