“Nigeria Is Not Broken, It’s Betrayed” — Peter Obi Slams Tinubu’s “Forged” Laws During ADC Defection

In a scathing farewell to the year, Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, officially defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday, December 31, 2025. Delivering a powerful address in Enugu titled “It Is Now Time for National Unity and Prosperity,” Obi accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of leading Nigeria into institutional decay and a state of “failing and disgraced nationhood.”

Obi described the current state of the country as a “persistent agony,” citing the collapse of public trust and the rise of multidimensional poverty, which now affects over 130 million citizens. He argued that the Tinubu administration has systematically weakened democratic institutions through fiscal recklessness and a blatant disregard for the rule of law.

“Our democracy is under threat. Our nation is adrift. Our people are in persistent agony,” Obi said. “Nigeria is not poor; we are looted into poverty. Nigeria is not broken; we are severely betrayed.”

A significant portion of his critique focused on the administration’s controversial tax reform policies, which are scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2026. Obi pointed to recent admissions in the National Assembly regarding discrepancies in the gazetted versions of these laws, labeling them as “forged.” He warned that the government is essentially attempting to “tax poverty” through a compromised legal framework.

“It is bad fiscal policy for the government to make the people poorer and still tax them more,” he noted, adding that the administration has chosen to reward illegality while punishing merit and competence.

Obi concluded his declaration by framing his move to the ADC as the start of a “rescue journey” for 2027. He asserted that without transparent and unifying leadership, the country would continue its current decline, and he vowed to spend the coming year building a coalition that prioritizes government effectiveness and accountability over political division.