Nigerian politician Peter Obi withdrew from a coalition that agreed to present a united front against President Bola Tinubu in January’s election, increasing the likelihood that the opposition vote will be split.
Obi’s announcement on Sunday that he will leave the African Democratic Congress (ADC) — whose members include Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president — came amid legal cases over the party’s leadership. Obi, who came third in the 2023 poll and won a quarter of the popular vote compared to Tinubu’s 37%, cited “endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division” as being central to his decision.
Defections are common during Nigerian election campaigns. Obi was on the ballot in each of the last two elections under different parties and now joins the relatively unknown Nigeria Democratic Congress. His 2023 campaign was driven by youth disenchantment with two establishment parties that had shared power since 1999. His campaign was notable for winning Lagos, Tinubu’s home state where he was governor for eight years.