The frontliner of a new Nigeria, former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has announced his immediate departure from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), declaring that Nigeria’s political landscape has become increasingly “toxic” and plagued by internal crises that impede sincere public service.
Obi, a prominent figure advocating for a “New Nigeria,” shared his decision in a statement released on Sunday via his X account, explaining that the move followed deep personal reflection on the “silent pains” of navigating the current political climate.
He described a system marked by “intimidation, insecurity, suspicion, and discouragement,” which he argues actively works against the welfare of 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,” Obi stated.
The statement also detailed the intense internal pressures he faced, including unfair criticism and instances where colleagues publicly supportive of him would “privately distance themselves.” He lamented that humility is often misinterpreted as weakness within the nation’s political culture.
Crucially, Obi clarified that his exit was not driven by personal grievances with party leaders, specifically mentioning former Senate President David Mark and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whom he continues to respect.
Instead, his decision was based on what he described as the infiltration of external political conflicts and endless legal and internal battles that are distracting the ADC from addressing critical national issues.
“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,” Obi asserted. He condemned a brand of politics built on “control and exclusion rather than on service and nation-building.”
Obi stressed that his priority remains the national welfare, not the pursuit of political office. “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 insisted.
Despite his withdrawal from the ADC, Obi concluded by reaffirming his commitment to the national vision: “A new Nigeria is possible.”
