Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has announced his departure from the African Democratic Congress, citing worsening internal crises within the party and broader national challenges.

In a statement shared on Sunday on X, Obi said his decision followed deep personal reflection and “silent pains” he had been carrying while navigating Nigeria’s political environment.

He described the country’s system as increasingly toxic, saying it had become marked by intimidation, insecurity, suspicion, and discouragement, which he argued often undermines sincere 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 also said he had been subjected to unfair criticism and internal pressure within political spaces he previously joined in search of solidarity and reform-minded leadership.

“Some who publicly identify with you privately distance themselves or join in unfair criticism,” he stated, adding that humility is often misinterpreted as weakness in Nigeria’s political culture.

He clarified that his departure from the ADC was not due to personal issues with the party leadership, including former Senate President David Mark or former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, both of whom he said he continues to respect.

According to him, his decision was driven by what he described as the infiltration of unresolved political conflicts and recurring legal and internal disputes that have distracted the party from national issues.

“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 said he has no personal desperation for political office, stressing that his focus remains on national welfare rather than positions.

“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.

Despite leaving the party, Obi reaffirmed his belief in a better Nigeria, insisting that competent and compassionate leadership remains possible.

“A new Nigeria is possible,” he declared.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has categorically denied that any final decision has been made regarding his political future, even as a close ally told reporters that he and fellow opposition leader Peter Obi plan to defect from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday.

In a statement issued in the late hours of Saturday, the former governor and 2023 presidential candidate acknowledged “wide-ranging consultations” with leaders from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and others to explore options for protecting their democratic interests.

The clarification comes after Buba Galadima, a key Kwankwaso ally, disclosed to newsmen on Saturday, May 2, 2026, that both Kwankwaso and Obi would leave the ADC for a new political platform on Monday.

Kwankwaso cited multiple legal challenges facing the ADC, including a recent Federal High Court ruling that “delegitimised the party’s recent convention” and an application by the Attorney General of the Federation to deregister the party.

“We left the NNPP due to externally influenced legal problems that made our stay perilous,” Kwankwaso said. “The ADC has now been also forced into this difficulty.”

Regarding presidential ambitions, Kwankwaso noted that the ADC has yet to zone its presidential ticket or take any decision on a candidate. “I have therefore neither declared any intention to run for president nor endorsed any aspirant,” he stated.

His absence from two recent ADC stakeholders’ meetings, he said, was due to “unavoidable personal commitments” for which he had apologised to party leadership.

A definitive position on his political direction will be announced “in the soonest possible time,” he added.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced that aspirants seeking its presidential ticket for the 2027 general elections will pay N100 million for nomination forms, as the party released its detailed primary election timetable on Sunday.

In a press statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party outlined a fee structure that places the ADC among Nigeria’s costliest political platforms. Aspirants for governor will pay N50 million, while those seeking a Senate seat will pay N20 million. Candidates for the House of Representatives will be required to pay N10 million, and State House of Assembly aspirants will pay N3 million.

To encourage wider participation, the ADC introduced concessional rates: a 50 percent discount for youths and a 25 percent discount for women and persons with disabilities.

The party’s 2026 primary elections will begin on May 21 with simultaneous ward-level elections for State Assembly, House of Representatives, and Senate seats. Governorship primaries follow on May 22, and the presidential primary is scheduled for May 25.

A Special National Convention on May 27 will ratify all candidates.

The timetable requires aspirants to collect application forms from April 1 to May 4, purchase nomination forms from May 5 to May 10, and submit completed documents by May 13. Screening runs from May 14 to May 15, with appeals heard May 18–19 and a final cleared aspirants list on May 20.

The ADC urged strict compliance with the party constitution and the Electoral Act, positioning itself as “the primary platform for Nigerians seeking competent, accountable, and people-focused leadership in 2027.”