Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has dumped the Labour Party and was captured wearing an African Democratic Congress (ADC) branded cap while campaigning for the party’s candidate, Justina Azuka, in the Onitsha North State Constituency by-election slated for Saturday.
However, Obi has not officially announced his defection to the new part but sources said Obi will officially join ADC any moment from now.
Azuka, widow of the late Labour Party lawmaker for Onitsha North, entered the race under the ADC platform following her husband’s killing last December.
The slain legislator was abducted on December 24, 2024, along Ugwunaobankpa Road in Inland Town, Onitsha, while returning home for Christmas. His body was found weeks later at the Second Niger Bridge on February 6, 2025.
Obi in a statement posted on his social media pages called for support for Mrs Azuka.
He wrote:
Standing with Mrs. Azuka for Onitsha North 1 Constituency
Today, I visited Mrs. Justina Azuka, who recently suffered the tragic and gruesome loss of her husband, Hon. Justice Azuka, at the hands of kidnappers.
In the face of this unimaginable pain, Mrs. Azuka has chosen the path of service, stepping forward to contest the Onitsha North Constituency 1 seat in the House of Assembly, to serve the remaining 13 months of her late husband’s tenure. She is a young mother of three — the eldest just 7 years old, and the others only 5 and 3.
I have always maintained that leadership without compassion is meaningless. True leadership must balance competence with humanity. Mrs. Azuka is an HND graduate in Public Administration — qualified, competent, and a woman of strength, resilience, and commitment to serve.
I call on all well-meaning citizens, at home and beyond, to rally behind her candidacy. Supporting her is not only an investment in competent representation but also a collective act of solidarity that will help ease the pain and heavy burden of her loss.
She has my full support, and I urge us all to stand together to ensure that this capable and committed daughter of ours is elected on Saturday, 16 August 2025. In doing so, we send a clear message that in the new Nigeria, we will be compassionate, we will care for one another in times of difficulty, and we will uphold justice alongside competent leadership.
A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO
Peter Obi is part of a coalition of opposition politicians who have united under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election.
The alliance has pledged to strengthen the party’s structures and uphold the principle that the organisation’s collective interest must outweigh the influence of any single individual, regardless of their elected office.
