By our correspondent
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), throwing bombs as he galvanised political leaders of the Southeast to join the ADC as a platform to rejoin the Federal Government.
Speaking at the event that sealed his defection, Obi launched a blistering critique of Nigeria’s ruling elite, warning that the country was sliding dangerously toward collapse and could no longer survive politics as usual. He described Nigeria as a nation in distress, insisting that unity and honesty in leadership were now matters of survival, not choice.
“We cannot have a country where people who cannot tell the school they attended are meant to rule us, and the court will say it is a pre-election matter,” Obi said, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fully scrutinise candidates’ qualifications ahead of future elections, reports GWG.ng.
In a passionate address, Obi stressed that leadership must be anchored on personal example and moral authority. “A leader must lead by example. If you ask the people to fast, you must not feast,” he declared, accusing the political class of hypocrisy and disconnect from the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
He lamented what he described as monumental corruption openly staring the nation in the face, despite repeated claims by government that corruption was being tackled. According to him, Nigeria has borrowed more than ever before, while insecurity, hunger and division have reached unprecedented levels.
“Nigeria is not a poor country. We were looted into poverty,” Obi said, adding that criminality had been normalised in governance. “We have now become a crime scene. We are called a disgraced nation.”
The former Anambra State governor also questioned economic policies that, in his view, punish the poor. “How can you tax people who are not productive? You cannot grow revenue when people are poor,” he argued, recounting visits to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps that, he said, many in government are afraid to acknowledge.
Obi emphasised that his decision to join the ADC was not about changing party labels but about building a national consensus anchored on truth, sacrifice and trust between leaders and the people. Drawing from global examples, he said successful leaders build consensus by being honest with their citizens and sharing in their pain.
Among those present at the event were the national chairman of the ADC, David Mark; former Imo State governor Achike Udenwa; former Enugu State governor Okwesilieze Nwodo; Chief Onyema Ugochukwu; Senators Ben Obi, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Tony Nwoye and Victor Umeh, alongside several Southeast leaders.
Obi concluded with a stark warning that Nigerians could no longer afford indifference. “We cannot sit, wait and leave ourselves to die,” he said, urging citizens and political stakeholders to rally around a united front to rescue the country from further decline.
The Southeast leaders adopted a motion by Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha that the Southeast leaders should join the ADC as a platform for the region to be reconnected to the centre.
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