The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has defended his defection from three political parties in four years, insisting that he can only remain in a party where “everything is conducive.”

Mr Obi, during an interview on Channels TV on Sunday, said he dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) because he could not remain in them due to internal crises, which he described as “fire.”

Asked to address criticism over why he repeatedly defected from “enduring political parties” instead of building them, Mr Obi cut in, saying, “How many political parties have I moved?”

The former Anambra governor accused certain politicians, whom he did not name, of stirring internal crises in every political party he joined.

“They go and put fire in this one; I went from PDP when things were no longer being done according to the rules, and I went to Labour, and they came there—same group of people—and they instituted fire on it and want me to stay there and get burnt,” he said. “I moved to ADC; since I went into the ADC, they carried the same fire and moved all over the place.”

“Why should I stay and build when they just want me to be burnt?” Mr Obi retorted when asked again why he couldn’t remain to build any of the parties he defected from.

On whether he would also dump the NDC should an internal crisis erupt, the LP’s 2023 presidential candidate stressed that he would remain in the party if “everything is conducive, if there is no problem.”

Mr Obi, who has often been accused of affiliating himself with platforms that would best serve his political interests, vowed to strengthen opposition parties if elected as president in 2027.

“What is happening in the NDC now, happening in PDP, happening in Labour, will never happen if I’m president of Nigeria,” he stated. “Anybody that tries to do it, even the judiciary, giving lots of rulings, you will see what will happen.”

To address insecurity bedevilling the country, Mr Obi promised to convene meetings of all opposition leaders where issues would be discussed.

The former Anambra governor defected from the PDP to the Labour Party in May 2022, citing “issues that are at variance with my persona and principles.” He contested the presidential election under the LP platform. 

On December 31, 2025, he dumped the LP for the ADC, saying his decision was driven by a desire to build a coalition focused on rescuing Nigeria from its current challenges.

Four months later, he announced his exit from the ADC, dismissing claims of his desperation to become Nigeria’s president.