{"id":196165,"date":"2026-02-25T10:02:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata"},"modified":"2026-02-25T11:09:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T10:09:43","slug":"how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata","title":{"rendered":"How Peter Obi influenced my defection to ADC \u2013 Olumide Apata"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>Former Labour Party, LP, governorship aspirant in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, has revealed that his move to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, was driven by his respect for former presidential contender Peter Obi.<\/p>\n

Addressing supporters at the ADC secretariat in Benin City, Edo State, Akpata stated that his defection was aimed at strengthening the party and supporting Obi\u2019s vision of national renewal.<\/p>\n

At the event, Akpata was formally received by the Edo State ADC Chairman, Kennedy Odion, in the presence of notable political figures such as former Edo State governors John Odigie-Oyegun and Oserheimen Osunbor, former Senate Chief Whip Roland Owie, as well as other senior party members.<\/p>\n

The gathering was described as a significant boost to the ADC\u2019s profile in the state.<\/p>\n

After being presented with his membership card by Odion, Akpata pointed to Obi\u2019s earlier decision to join the ADC on December 31, 2025, as a major influence on his own choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI joined the party to add value and to be part of the change that Obi represents,\u201d he remarked, while also thanking members of the Obidient Movement for their encouragement and warm welcome.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Obi reiterated his dedication to building a Nigeria that serves the broader population rather than a select elite.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must build a nation that moves from consumption to production,\u201d he said, stressing the ADC\u2019s commitment to broad-based prosperity and fair economic progress.<\/p>\n

Party elders and former governors commended the expanding coalition within the ADC, pointing to previous political achievements and voicing optimism about success in the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n

Osunbor specifically cautioned against any manipulation of the electoral process by the ruling party, urging citizens to stay alert and protect the country\u2019s democratic institutions.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Nigeria<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. Former Labour Party, LP, governorship aspirant in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, has revealed that his move to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, was driven by his respect for former presidential contender Peter Obi. Addressing supporters at the ADC secretariat in Benin City, Edo State, Akpata stated that his defection was aimed at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":196163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[254],"class_list":["post-196165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Peter Obi influenced my defection to ADC \u2013 Olumide Apata - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former Labour Party, LP, governorship aspirant in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, has revealed that his move to the African D ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Peter Obi influenced my defection to ADC \u2013 Olumide Apata\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former Labour Party, LP, governorship aspirant in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, has revealed that his move to the African D ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T09:02:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T10:09:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/sm_1772014160.461698.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"How Peter Obi influenced my defection to ADC \u2013 Olumide Apata\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-25T09:02:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-25T10:09:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata\"},\"wordCount\":308,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/sm_1772014160.461698.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/how-peter-obi-influenced-my-defection-to-adc-olumide-apata\",\"name\":\"How Peter Obi influenced my defection to ADC \u2013 Olumide Apata - 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