The lawmaker stressed that Nigeria urgently needs a strong, united and principled opposition capable of offering citizens a credible alternative ahead of the 2027 general election.
Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe has reportedly resigned from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and declared his membership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Mr David Mark, Chairman of ADC, this is the logo of the party on this cap and I’m going to wear this cap for the first time. Let me also announce that this morning, I resigned from the All Progressives Grand Alliance. So as at now, I’m fully in ADC, following my brother and our leader, Mr Peter Obi,” he announced to the cheering of the crowd.
Abaribe’s defection comes as former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, alongside other political leaders from Nigeria’s South-East geopolitical zone, on Wednesday declared their membership of the ADC, citing the need to “rescue Nigeria from the poor governance of the All Progressives Congress (APC)”.
The leaders made the declaration on Wednesday during a meeting held in Enugu, the Enugu State capital, after what they described as months of wide-ranging consultations.
Abaribe is one of the prominent political figures from the South-East and has been a key voice in national legislative debates over the years.
According to the defectors, the decision to join the ADC was part of a broader plan to align with other opposition leaders across the country in a collective effort to unseat the ruling APC, which they accused of mismanaging the nation.
“As the year 2025 ends today, we stand on the threshold of a new year, which we hope will mark the beginning of Nigeria’s long-awaited socio-economic transformation,” Obi said.
“For Nigeria, that moment of decisive action is now. Nigeria is not poor, we are looted into poverty.”
Obi painted a grim picture of the country’s condition, describing Nigeria as “a nation in grave distress,” plagued by insecurity, unemployment, poverty and institutional decay.
“With over 130 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty and more than 80 million youths unemployed, our people are in persistent agony,” he said.
“Nigeria is not collapsing under the weight of its people; Nigeria is suffocating under the weight of impunity and greed of her leadership.”
He argued that the country’s challenges are not rooted in a lack of resources but in leadership failure.
Senator Abaribe officially resign from APGA. He is now a member of ADC. Peter Obi came with other Labour Party Legislatives members pic.twitter.com/YNvnQn4agg
— Most High Chuks (@HighChuks_M_C) December 31, 2025