Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has announced that he is leaving the African Democratic Congress, pointing to deepening internal conflicts within the party as well as wider national difficulties.
In a statement posted on Sunday on X, Obi explained that the move came after careful personal reflection and “silent pains” he had endured while operating in Nigeria’s political space.
He said the country’s system has grown increasingly toxic, characterized by intimidation, insecurity, suspicion, and discouragement—factors he believes often weaken genuine efforts at public service.
“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,” he said.
Obi added that he faced unfair criticism and internal pressure in political groups he had joined in pursuit of unity and reform-driven leadership. “Some who publicly identify with you privately distance themselves or join in unfair criticism,” he stated, noting that humility is frequently mistaken for weakness in Nigeria’s political culture.
He clarified that his exit from the ADC was not due to personal grievances with party leaders, including former Senate President David Mark or former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, both of whom he said he still respects.
According to Obi, his decision was influenced by what he described as the spread of unresolved political tensions and persistent legal and internal disputes, which he said have diverted the party’s attention from national priorities.
“Let me state clearly: 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. “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 and playing politics built more on control and exclusion than on service and nation-building,” he said.
Obi emphasized that he is not personally driven by ambition for political office, but by concern for the country’s wellbeing.
“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 said.
Even after leaving the party, he reiterated his optimism about the country’s future, maintaining that capable and compassionate leadership is still achievable.
“A new Nigeria is possible,” he declared.