The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has formally registered as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Obi completed his registration on Saturday in his hometown of Agulu, Anambra State, where he also announced plans to challenge the newly enacted Electoral Act 2026 in court, alleging that some of its provisions could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
The former Anambra State governor argued that aspects of the new electoral law were designed to enable electoral manipulation and tilt the political playing field in favour of the ruling party.
He also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of exceeding its constitutional mandate by attempting to dictate how political parties conduct their internal processes, particularly in the selection of candidates.
According to Obi, the electoral body should concentrate on conducting credible elections rather than interfering in party affairs.
“I am going to challenge the decision in court; INEC has no reason to assume processes in how political parties elect their candidates. Its responsibility is to conduct elections,” he said.
Using a football analogy, Obi added that the commission’s role should be limited to officiating elections rather than determining how political parties prepare or choose their candidates.
“You don’t tell a team how to prepare its players before a match. As a referee, INEC’s role is to officiate, not to determine which players a team should field,” he said.
Obi further alleged that the law was being hurriedly introduced to benefit the ruling party ahead of the next presidential election.
“All the laws being hurriedly created are simply aimed at enabling the ruling party to snatch the 2027 presidential election and run away with it,” he claimed.
He urged supporters and party members to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 polls, noting that Anambra State alone has about 2.8 million registered voters.
“We have about 2.8 million registered voters in Anambra, and I urge everyone to go to the grassroots and mobilise people to register and be ready to vote,” he said.
The former presidential candidate also stressed the importance of unity among opposition groups, saying leaders from the South-East were already engaging with other regions to build a formidable opposition ahead of the next election cycle.
“In this journey of 2027, we in the South-East are working as a family and discussing with other regions. The goal is to unite the opposition and create a new Nigeria,” he said, adding that the South-East remains an integral part of the country.
Obi also criticised Nigeria’s current socio-economic situation, describing the nation as one of the poorest in the world despite its vast resources.
“We cannot continue in an era where Nigeria has become one of the worst five countries in the world and the poverty capital of the world. We are committed to building a Nigeria where the child of a nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody,” he said.
Speaking at the event, the ADC National Organising Secretary, Chinedu Idigo, said the party’s membership registration exercise would be conducted both physically and online.
He encouraged prospective members to complete their online registration before visiting designated centres to collect their membership cards.
Idigo disclosed that about 50,000 membership cards had already been sent to Anambra State, with additional cards expected soon.
He also noted that the party would adopt the direct primary system in selecting candidates for future elections.
Also speaking, the ADC candidate in the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship election, John Nwosu, described Obi’s registration as a major boost for the party.
“This is a day of joy. The journey of Obi to the presidency begins today,” Nwosu said, while urging party members to remain united and avoid internal divisions ahead of future elections.
Reflecting on the 2023 general elections, Nwosu noted that issues such as vote buying, voter apathy and a shortage of polling agents had affected the party’s performance, adding that efforts were underway to address those challenges before the next polls.
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