A leadership faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has publicly rejected reports that former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has joined the party through a membership registration in Enugu. The group, led by the party’s National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, said the reported registration did not follow the ADC’s constitutional rules and was therefore invalid.
Obi, who was the Labour Party’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election, announced his decision to leave that party and join the ADC at a high-profile event held at the Nike Lake Resort in Enugu State on 31 December 2025. At the event, he called on Nigerians and opposition forces to unite under a broad coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.”
However, in a New Year message issued in Abuja, Mr Gombe said it was important to clarify how membership of the ADC should be properly obtained because misleading information was circulating in the public domain. According to him, the only recognised way to join the party is through registration at the ward level, either in a person’s state of origin or state of residence.
Mr Gombe explained that the ADC constitution requires prospective members to register in their local ward and complete official membership forms there. Only after this process is successfully completed can a validated party membership card be issued. He said the constitution makes no provision for registration at zonal or national offices, and any attempt to admit members outside the established framework is not valid.
“It has come to our attention that a certain Mr Peter Obi was reportedly registered at a party zonal office in Enugu. The National Working Committee wishes to categorically state that this action does not align with the constitutional and stipulated procedures for membership registration into the African Democratic Congress,” Mr Gombe said in the statement. He added that the party is investigating what it described as a breach of due process.
The ADC leadership has urged both party supporters and the general public to disregard any claims that alternative channels for registration exist. It stressed that ward-level registration is the only accepted method under the party’s constitution.
The clarification from Mr Gombe’s faction comes amid a leadership crisis within the ADC, with rival groups claiming authority over the party. The split has raised concerns about how united the party can present itself as an opposition platform ahead of the 2027 general elections. Analysts say that internal disagreements over leadership and membership procedures could undermine efforts to build a cohesive political force.
The statement from the Gombe-led faction also followed reactions from the Labour Party. On Wednesday, the party’s National Working Committee, led by Julius Abure, described Obi’s departure as a “liberation” for the party. Labour’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said in a statement that the party regretted fielding Obi as its presidential candidate in 2023 and claimed his exit formalised a political separation that had existed for months amid internal disputes.
As the controversy continues, questions remain over whether Peter Obi will complete the ward-level registration process required by the ADC constitution, or whether this dispute signals deeper fractures within his new political home.
