Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (Nigeria) has formally registered as a member of the African Democratic Congress, marking a new political step ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi completed his registration Saturday in his hometown of Agulu in Anambra State and said he plans to challenge the recently passed Electoral Act 2026 in court, alleging it contains provisions that could undermine the credibility of future elections.
The former Anambra State governor accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of overstepping its constitutional mandate by attempting to interfere in how political parties conduct their internal processes.
“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,” Obi said.
Using a sports analogy, he added that the electoral body should act as a referee rather than determine how political parties select 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 alleged that provisions in the new law were designed to benefit the ruling party in the next general 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 said.
He also called on supporters to intensify grassroots mobilization ahead of the polls, noting that Anambra State 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 mobilize people to register and be ready to vote,” he said.
Obi emphasized the need for unity among opposition groups, saying political actors in the Southeast were working with other regions to build a stronger opposition coalition ahead of 2027.
“In this journey of 2027, we in the Southeast are working as a family and discussing with other regions. The goal is to unite the opposition and create a new Nigeria,” he said.
He also criticized Nigeria’s economic conditions, describing the country as one of the poorest despite its vast natural 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,” Obi said.
“We are committed to building a Nigeria where the child of a nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody.”
The National Organising Secretary of the ADC, Chinedu Idigo said the party’s membership registration exercise would be conducted both physically and online.
He urged prospective members to complete online registration before visiting designated centers to collect their membership cards and said the party would adopt a direct primary system to select candidates in future elections.
Idigo added that about 50,000 membership cards had already been delivered to the state, with more expected soon.
Also speaking at the event, the ADC candidate in the Nov. 8, 2025, Anambra governorship election, John Nwosu described Obi’s registration as a significant milestone for the party.
“This is a day of joy. The journey of Obi to the presidency begins today,” Nwosu said.
He urged party members to remain united ahead of future elections and said challenges during the 2023 polls — including vote buying, voter apathy and inadequate polling agents — had affected the party’s performance.
Efforts are underway to address those issues ahead of upcoming elections, he added.
