Former presidential candidate and ex-Anambra State Governor Peter Obi picked up his membership card for the African Democratic Congress on Saturday March 7, 2026, during the flag-off ceremony of the Anambra State ADC registration and mobilisation exercise.
The card collection took place at his hometown ward in Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, following the flag-off of the ADC’s Membership Mobilisation, Registration, Revalidation and Inauguration of the Anambra State committee at the Hollywood Event Center in Awka.
The move draws a definitive line under months of back and forth speculation particularly rumours that had been circulating in recent weeks suggesting Obi might return to the Labour Party, the platform that delivered his historic 2023 presidential run. Obi’s move comes amid earlier speculation about his possible return to the Labour Party. Saturday’s card collection puts that conversation to rest permanently.
Obi had initially announced his defection to ADC on December 31, 2025, during a political rally at the Nike Lake Resort Hotel in Enugu, joining the party alongside Labour Party supporters and politicians from other parties. He argued at the time that he was not defecting but simply formalising his membership since he had been part of the conversations that formed the opposition coalition which adopted ADC as its platform for 2027.
Speaking at Saturday’s event, Obi re-emphasized his 2027 presidential ambition. “On this journey, South-East is working as a family. All the notable political leaders are all here in ADC. We are all working together as a family, and we are discussing with other parts of the country,” he said, insisting that the entire South-East geopolitical zone was united behind his presidential bid and that stakeholders were actively engaging other regions to build a national coalition strong enough to challenge the ruling APC.
Obi said several attempts had been made to discourage him from the race but insisted that he would not be deterred, stating he would not be intimidated by the large number of governors currently in the APC.
Obi announced that he will challenge the Electoral Act 2026 in court, alleging that the legislation was hurriedly passed to manipulate the outcome of the 2027 elections. “All the laws being hurriedly churned out now are simply aimed at enabling them to snatch the 2027 presidential election and run away with it. But this time, we will catch them,” he said, adding that INEC has no reason to dictate how political parties elect their candidates during primaries.
The ADC is rapidly becoming the most consequential opposition platform ahead of 2027. The party has attracted a broad coalition including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Gabriel Suswam of Benue and Sule Lamido of Jigawa all of whom are leading the National Opposition Coalition Group that adopted ADC as its vehicle for unseating President Tinubu.
