2027: Obi’s Political Crossroads ,- By Elempe Dele

In Nigeria, the poster boy for integrity and some measure of transparency is unarguably Mr. Peter Obi. He was two-term governor of Anambra State from 2007 to 2014 without much blemish attached to his name.

He became a national figure and household name when he galvanized for the presidential election in 2023 under the Labour Party, LP, using the Obidient Movement as a populist springboard to diffuse his message to disenchanted Nigerians who were tired of the establishment and the usual recycled politicians.

Although he lost the election for obvious reasons, he was able to stencil his name in our politically history with over six million votes, winning Lagos State and Abuja.

But his earned integrity is being questioned by political watchers in recent times with chagrin and awe as he navigates his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election. While he has clarified the confusion by claiming he is still a member of the LP, and that he is in the presidential race, he also added that is a member of the Coalition for 2027.

This clarification was made during the flag-off of campaign for the party’s candidate for the November 8, 2025 governorship election in Anambra State.

However, I am sure Obi is aware that the Coalition has adopted the African Democratic Congress, ADC, as its political party for members who wish to run for elective positions.

So it sounds politically unsophisticated for Obi to think he is in LP, a political party, and be in ADC, also a political party, without resigning from the former or stop romancing the later when the Coalition morphed into a proper political party.

‘But today, we are members of Labour Party. If anybody asks you which party does Peter Obi belongs today, tell him Peter Obi is in Labour Party. If anybody asks you about the Coalition, tell him, the Coalition is for 2027.

“I will start this conversation by clarifying some confusions making the rounds. I need to explain to you and it is very important that I clarify this because people are saying, ‘Oh! Obi is in ADC and also in the Labour Party.

“Let me put it categorically clear, I and the National Assembly members of the Labour Party are part of the coalition that have adopted ADC for the 2027 election and other parties will join us.”

The above clarification is more confusing; ADC is not a Coalition, it is a political party just like the LP. So how does he intend to transverse both without being seen as playing anti-party activity?

Secondly, him and members of the National Assembly don’t make the LP, they are ordinary members. If there is any entity to join the Coalition that has now morphed into ADC, it is the LP, not members who have not been officially cleared to be in both parties at the same time. I consider his explanation some sort of manipulation, gaslighting and hypnosis – it is not adding up. Or is it that Obi is not politically savvy enough to know that the Coalition has moved on to its intended destination and that to be a member, one ought to resign from his former political party? And that it amounts to anti-party to be in LP and still claim you are in the Coalition that has a different political umbrella?

For the uninitiated, the National Publicity of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, said in a statement that the party is not interested in joining the Coalition. So it is an outright anti-party for some members of the party, without consent, to go to join the ADC, which is now a rival party, as it were. Although no official response yet, Obi was given time to formally resign from the LP.

In the statement, the LP said they are aware that Obi is lobbying other members to join him in his new party. “We are aware of several night-time meetings between Peter Obi and some of our members, as he is lobbying them to join him in his new party. We are also aware some of them have refused to defect with him.”

While speaking on the sidelines of the 2nd Annual Colloquium of Associate Professor Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia, Obi urged the ADC to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the southern region in the interest of equity, unity and nationaal cohesion.

In an exclusive chat with Daily Trust at the event, Obi said, “Why should we have a northerner again when we can easily allow the south to complete their tenure to promote unity and cohesiveness, and afterwards, our northern brothers can take up their eight years”. To this end, the former Anambra governor said, “we are urging this coalition to cede the presidential ticket to the South and let us finish this matter”.

My question is, if Obi is not running under ADC, if he is not interested in running under ADC, if he is not interested in being part of ADC, why is he asking the party to zone its ticket to the South? Who will profit from the zoning? Why is he not asking his party, LP, that said the presidential ticket will be open to all, to also zone it to the South?

How do you instruct another party you are not interested in where it ought to zone its ticket to? Why is he not asking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or the All Progressive Congress, APC, where they ought to zone their ticket to? Is he, or will he be willing to run under the ADC come 2027? If yes, why not jettison the LP once and for all?

The ADC interim national chairman, Senator David Mark, has said the party has thrown open its 2027 presidential ticket to every interested aspirant. He assured Nigerians that under his leadership, the party would be “absolutely transparent”. However, the former party’s presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, counter this claim by alleged that the party intended to give the presidential ticket to Atiku. The question before every lip is, “what are the chances of Obi, or even Amaechi, who has also declared his intention to run, if Atiku contest the primary?”

Atiku will easily surpass Obi and any other contestant in the primary owing to his financial influence and his political network within the new ADC. The primary will be dollarized and the delegates will flow with the Benjamins. Which delegate will see an upward of ten thousand Dollar and will be talking about credibility and competence?

According to Tanko Yunusa, the leader of the Obidient Movement, Obi will contest with or without the coalition ticket of the ADC. “So we are not even contemplating whether or not he will run,” Tanko said, “the platform will be revealed.’

From Tanko’s revelation, they seem not to be sure Obi will run under LP or ADC.

It might be denied, but Obi seems to be at a political crossroads. His dancing shift from LP to ADC or in between is responsible for it. As a poor student of history, he forgot it was the same Atiku who made him to leave PDP to run under LP because he knew he couldn’t have fairly contested with him there. So why did he failed to look well before jumping into the Coalition pitfall?