Peter Obi splits from ADC, citing deepening party turmoil

Former Labor Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi has announced his resignation from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing rising internal tensions within the party and broader systemic challenges in 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 pain” while navigating the country’s political space.

He paints a vivid picture of Nigeria’s current condition, depicting a Nigeria that is increasingly defined by fear, distrust and structural setbacks that hinder genuine service to society.

“We now live in an increasingly toxic environment, where systems that should protect and create opportunity often actually harm society,” he said.

The former governor of Anambra State also spoke about the pressure and criticism he faced in political circles, and stated that alliances often proved unreliable.

“Some people who openly identify with you personally distance themselves or join in unfair criticism,” he said, adding that humility is often misinterpreted as weakness in Nigerian 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 still holds in high regard.

According to him, this step was necessary because of prolonged internal disputes and legal entanglements which had shifted the party’s focus from national interests.

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“Let me state clearly: my decision to leave the ADC is not because our respected Chairman, Senator David Mark, treated me badly, or because my leader and elder brother, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other respected leaders did anything personal wrong to me. I will continue to respect them.

“However, the Nigerian state and its agents who created the unnecessary crisis and animosity within the Labor Party that forced me to leave now seem to have found their way into the ADC, with its endless court cases, internal disputes, suspicions and divisions, instead of focusing on deeper national issues and playing politics that is based more on control and exclusion than on service and nation building,” he said.

Obi emphasized that his political decisions were not driven by personal ambition, but rather by a commitment to improving the country’s conditions.

“I am not giving up hope of becoming President, Vice President or President of the Senate. I really want to see a Nigeria where people can live in dignity, without hunger, fear or displacement,” he said.

Despite stepping down from ADC, he reiterated his optimism for the nation’s future, and maintained that transformative leadership remains achievable.

“A new Nigeria is possible,” he said.