The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has officially registered as a member of the African Democratic Congress, declaring his intention to challenge the recently enacted Electoral Act 2026 in court.
Obi completed his registration on Saturday in his hometown of Agulu, located in Aniocha Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Speaking after the exercise, the former Anambra State governor criticised aspects of the new electoral law, alleging that certain provisions were designed to manipulate the outcome of the 2027 general elections.
He argued that the law contains elements capable of undermining the credibility of future polls and accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of exceeding its constitutional mandate by attempting to influence how political parties conduct their internal affairs.
According to him, INEC’s primary duty is to organise and supervise elections, not to interfere in the process through which political parties select their candidates.
“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.
Drawing a football analogy, he added that the electoral body should act strictly as a neutral umpire.
“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 swift passage of new electoral regulations was aimed at giving the ruling party an unfair advantage ahead of the 2027 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 alleged.
He urged supporters and party members to intensify grassroots mobilisation, particularly in voter registration efforts, as the next general election approaches.
“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 forces across the country, noting that leaders from the South-East were already engaging with counterparts from other regions to build a formidable alliance ahead of the next polls.
“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. The South-East is part of Nigeria and no region is more Nigerian than the South-East,” he said.
Obi also expressed concern over Nigeria’s economic situation, lamenting the country’s rising poverty levels despite its natural and human 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,” he said, adding that the vision of the movement he represents is to build a country where merit and opportunity prevail.
“We are committed to building a Nigeria where the child of a nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody,” Obi stated.
Speaking at the event, the National Organising Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, 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 obtain their membership cards.
Idigo also revealed that the party had adopted the direct primary system for selecting candidates in future elections and disclosed that about 50,000 membership cards had already been delivered to Anambra State, with more expected.
Also addressing party members, 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.
He urged members of the party to remain united and avoid internal divisions that could weaken their chances in future elections.
Nwosu also reflected on the party’s performance during the 2023 general elections, noting that issues such as vote buying, voter apathy, and inadequate deployment of polling agents had affected the outcome.
He, however, assured members that steps were being taken to address those challenges ahead of future contests.
