The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has lamented Nigeria’s worsening socio-economic situation, describing the country as one of the poorest nations globally despite its enormous natural and human resources.

Obi said Nigeria had slipped into the category of the world’s worst-performing countries, with millions of citizens trapped in poverty.

“We cannot continue in an era where Nigeria has become one of the worst five countries in the world and the poverty capital of the world,” he said.

“We are committed to building a Nigeria where the child of a nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody.”

Obi spoke on Saturday after he was formally registered as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in his hometown of Agulu in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The former governor of Anambra State also disclosed that he would challenge the newly enacted Electoral Act 2026 in court, alleging that certain provisions in the law were designed to manipulate the outcome of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, the new electoral legislation could open the door to electoral manipulation and undermine the credibility of future polls.

Obi accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of overstepping its constitutional mandate by attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of political parties.

“I am going to challenge the decision in court. INEC has no reason to dictate how political parties elect their candidates. Its responsibility is to conduct elections,” he said.

“You don’t tell a team how to prepare its players before a match. As a referee, INEC’s role is to officiate, not to determine which players a team should field.”

Obi further alleged that the provisions of the new law appeared tailored to favour the ruling party ahead of the next general election.

“All the laws being hurriedly created are simply aimed at enabling the ruling party to snatch the 2027 presidential election and run away with it,” he said.

He urged party members and supporters to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 polls.

“We have about 2.8 million registered voters in Anambra, and I urge everyone to go to the grassroots, mobilise people to register, and be ready to vote,” he said.

The former presidential candidate also stressed the need for greater unity among opposition parties, noting that the South-East was working with other regions of the country to build a formidable opposition ahead of the next elections.

“The goal is to unite the opposition and create a new Nigeria. The South-East is part of Nigeria and no region is more Nigerian than the South-East,” he added.

Speaking on the party’s membership drive, the National Organising Secretary of the ADC, Chinedu Idigo, said the registration exercise would be conducted both physically and online.

He urged prospective members to complete their online registration before visiting designated centres to collect their membership cards.

Idigo disclosed that about 50,000 membership cards had already been delivered to the state, with additional batches expected soon.

He added that the party would adopt the direct primary system for selecting its candidates in future elections.

Also speaking, the ADC candidate in the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship election, John Nwosu, described Obi’s registration as a major milestone for the party.

“This is a day of joy. The journey of Obi to the presidency begins today,” Nwosu said.

He urged party members to close ranks and avoid internal divisions ahead of future elections.

Reflecting on the 2023 general elections, Nwosu said challenges such as vote buying, voter apathy and inadequate polling agents undermined the party’s performance, adding that efforts were being made to address those shortcomings ahead of future polls.