Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has lamented that even those within his circle have turned against him, as he announced his departure from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Obi made this known in a personal statement released to the public on Sunday, where he reflected on “the silent pains, private struggles, and emotional burdens he carries daily while trying to serve sincerely in difficult circumstances”.
In the statement, Obi expressed deep pain over the behavior of some people he once associated with, believing he would find understanding and solidarity among them.
He said: “More painful is when some of those you associate with, believing you would find understanding and solidarity among them, become part of the pressure you face. Some who publicly identify with you privately distance themselves or join in unfair criticism.”
He further lamented that Nigeria has become a society where humility is mistaken for weakness, respect is seen as a lack of courage, and compassion is treated as foolishness.
Obi was careful to state that his decision to leave the ADC was not due to any personal wrongdoing by the party’s leadership, though he did not mention Ameachi.
He said: “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.”
Obi raised concerns that the problems which forced him out of the Labour Party are now repeating themselves in the ADC.
He said: “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.”
Despite the attacks and frustrations, Obi clarified his ultimate motivation.
He said: “Let me assure all that I am not desperate to be President, Vice President, or Senate President. I am desperate to see a society that can console a mother whose child has been kidnapped or killed while going to school or work. I am desperate to see a Nigeria where people will not live in IDP camps but in their homes. I am desperate for a country where Nigerian citizens do not go to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal will come from.”
He concluded: “Yet, despite everything, I remain resolute. I firmly believe that Nigeria can still become a country with competent leadership based on justice, compassion, and equal opportunity for all. A new Nigeria is POssible.”
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