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The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) welcomed the former presidential candidates in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso into its fold as new members on Sunday.
The two who are leaders of the “Nigeria will be OK Movement”, arrived the secretariat of the NDC in Guzape, Abuja at around 5pm and went into a closed-door meeting with the National Leader of the party, Senator Seriake Dickson and the National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas.
Cleopas described Obi and Kwankwaso as political bulldozers and great leaders while handing over their membership cards to them.
In his address, Dickson said the party was grateful to have Obi and Kwankwaso because of what they bring on board the NDC.
“The Nigerian people know what you are bringing on board the NDC. There will be time enough for campaign; there will be time enough to unfold the political processes within the party,” he said.
In his remark, Obi bemoaned the interference of the federal government, through “unresolved litigations” in all the political parties they had been involved with.
For his part, Kwankwaso assured Nigerians at home and diaspora that they will work for the turn around of the country’s fortune.
Earlier, Obi had in a post on his X handle @PeterObi bemoaned the internal and external pressures on him and an “environment that has become toxic” as some of the reason for leaving the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He wrote in part: “Let me state clearly: my decision to leave the ADC is not because our highly respected Chairman, Senator David Mark, treated me badly, nor because my leader and elder brother, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other respected leaders did anything personally wrong to me. I will continue to respect them.
“However, the same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC, with endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division, instead of focusing on deeper national problems and playing politics built more on control and exclusion than on service and nation-building.
“Even within spaces where one labours sincerely, one is sometimes treated like an outsider in one’s own home. You and your team become easy targets for every failure, frustration, or misunderstanding, as though honest contribution has become a favour being tolerated rather than appreciated.
“And when you choose to leave so that those you are leaving can have peace, and you step out into the cold, you are still maligned and your character is questioned. Despite all your efforts to continue working for a better Nigeria and engaging people with sincerity and goodwill, those who do not wish you well continue to attack your character and question your intentions.
“There are moments I ask God in prayer: Why is doing the right thing often misconstrued as wrongdoing in our country? Why is integrity not valued? Why is the prudent management of resources, especially when invested in critical areas like education and healthcare, wrongly labelled as stinginess? Why are humility and obedience to the rule of law often taken to be weakness rather than discipline?
“Let me assure all that I am not desperate to be President, Vice President, or Senate President. I am desperate to see a society that can console a mother whose child has been kidnapped or killed while going to school or work. I am desperate to see a Nigeria where people will not live in IDP camps but in their homes. I am desperate for a country where Nigerian citizens do not go to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal will come from.
“Yet, despite everything, I remain resolute. I firmly believe that Nigeria can still become a country with competent leadership based on justice, compassion, and equal opportunity for all.
“A new Nigeria is Possible.”