I’ve Left ADC For NDC, Obi Is My Brother – Anambra Senator

Senator representing Anambra Central in the National Assembly, Victor Umeh, says he has left the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), insisting that the move was already concluded and driven by developments within the opposition coalition.

Umeh, who spoke on Arise Prime Time on Monday, also confirmed his political alignment with Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, describing him as “my brother” and stating that his recent political decisions were taken in line with Obi’s direction.

“Well, it is true… I have resigned from the ADC since 1st of May, and tomorrow you’ll hear more about it,” Umeh said during the interview.

When asked directly if he was joining the NDC, the senator replied: “Yeah surely, that’s the destination.”

The Anambra lawmaker, who has been linked to the opposition coalition movement, said Obi’s defection to the NDC alongside former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso influenced his own decision to follow suit.

“Yesterday he announced his defection to the NDC along with His Excellency Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and I was there too,” he said. “If you play the videos, you’ll see me. I didn’t go there for sightseeing.”

Explaining the collapse of the coalition within the ADC, Umeh said the party initially began with strong national support but later became bogged down by internal legal disputes and leadership crises.

“When the coalition came together on the 2nd of July last year, it came with a lot of hope… but along the line, legal twists were introduced into the matter,” he said.

He pointed to court cases and leadership disputes as key factors that destabilised the party, including conflicting claims over the party’s national leadership and intervention by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to him, a Court of Appeal order in March 2026 created uncertainty around the party’s leadership structure, leading to further political complications.

Responding to criticism that Peter Obi’s repeated party changes reflect political instability, Umeh dismissed the allegation, saying party switching is common in Nigerian politics.

“Becoming a nomad in the words of people who speak for the presidency, nobody in Nigerian politics can say he has not moved from one party to the other,” he said.

He defended Obi’s political style, insisting it is driven by principle rather than ambition.
“Peter doesn’t waste money… if everything is monetised and he sees it going in a wrong direction, he can excuse himself. That’s what he has done repeatedly,” Umeh stated.

Umeh stressed, “For the case of the NDC, the major leader of that party is His Excellency Senator Seriake Dickson… going there, you can be reasonably assured of decency.”

He added that the ADC lacked cohesion due to competing ambitions among its members.

“The party became a place where everybody wants to lead. No dialogue was possible. It must be me, it must be me,” he said.

Despite the collapse of key elements of the coalition, Umeh insisted that the opposition still has the capacity to reorganise ahead of the 2027 elections.

“It is a setback, but not a fatal blow,” he said, while maintaining: “He’s my brother,” he stated.