The spokesman of the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has affirmed that Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has been an active member of the coalition from its inception, despite not yet being a formal member of the ADC.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Abdullahi clarified that Obi’s continued affiliation with the Labour Party is temporary and strategic.
“Peter Obi has been part of the coalition from day one. He has attended almost every meeting of the coalition,” said Abdullahi, a former Minister of Sports and Youth Development. “The reason Peter Obi has not come into the ADC as a card-carrying member is because he requested leave to complete the electoral processes involving his supporters in the Labour Party.”
Abdullahi further explained that a similar arrangement had been extended to former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, allowing him to conclude his engagements with the All Progressives Congress (APC) before fully integrating into the new opposition bloc.
His comments come amid speculation about Obi’s future political direction, following remarks by former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, who earlier this week suggested that Obi could return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pursue the party’s 2027 presidential ticket.
Sheriff, citing insider information, claimed Obi was positioning to rejoin the PDP, where he previously ran as the vice-presidential candidate alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 elections.
However, Abdullahi dismissed such claims, insisting the coalition is not a platform designed to promote the presidential ambitions of any single individual, including Atiku.
“What I know for a fact is that Peter Obi is in the coalition,” he said. “This is not an Atiku coalition. The ADC is not built on anybody’s ambition. What is at stake is much bigger than every individual.”
He emphasized that the coalition aims to present a united front ahead of the 2027 elections, offering Nigerians an alternative to the current administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On July 1, several prominent political figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola, formally adopted the ADC as the political platform for the opposition coalition. The alliance, comprising former governors and key political stakeholders, aims to challenge the APC’s hold on power and “rescue Nigeria’s democracy” in the next electoral cycle.
The coalition continues to hold consultations across party lines as it seeks to strengthen its base ahead of 2027.
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