Former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has finalised plans to exit the crisis-ridden party to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC), even as he declared that he will not be anybody’s running mate in the 2027 presidential election.
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Obi made the declaration on Sunday night during an X Spaces conversation, where he addressed questions about his political future and leadership ambitions.
“I am not travelling round the world to learn governance to be Vice President,” Obi said. “I know how to turn Nigeria around. I built my business from scratch and have more experience than any candidate, including the sitting President. Peter Obi will be on the ballot in 2027. I need your support. I need your prayers.”
According to Daily Sun, Obi’s planned departure from the Labour Party comes amid the party’s protracted leadership crisis that has divided it into two factions one led by Julius Abure and the other controlled by Senator Nenadi Usman.
The situation has been complicated by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) failure to officially recognise either faction following a Supreme Court judgment, leaving party members in limbo.
Sources close to Obi told the newspaper that INEC’s indecision on the leadership issue has worsened the party’s internal problems, prompting the former governor to seek an alternative platform.
The report indicated that Obi has begun consulting with key stakeholders in the LP, including Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, and lawmakers about his planned departure.
The ADC’s coalition effort is aimed at challenging the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. Those spearheading the initiative include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Obi, former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, former Rivers governor Chibuike Amaechi, former Senate President David Mark, and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola.
However, the coalition is experiencing internal divisions over who should lead the ticket.
Daily Sun reported that the ADC is split into three camps: one supporting Atiku, another backing Obi, and a third supporting Amaechi.
The most contentious issue dividing the coalition is the question of zoning. While many within the coalition are urging Atiku, who would be 80 years old in 2027, to step aside for a younger candidate, others within the northern political establishment continue to support his candidacy.
Atiku’s northern supporters argue that the South has held the presidency for long and that power should rotate back to the North, with Obi as his running mate.
However, critics within the coalition have raised concerns about a repeat of 2019 when Atiku ran with Obi as his running mate and lost to then-incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. They question whether a similar ticket arrangement could produce different results in 2027.
Daily Sun learnt that in early May, Atiku’s camp offered Obi the vice presidential position on the coalition ticket, though Obi did not provide a definitive response.
Supporters of this arrangement suggest it would benefit the South East, saying if Atiku serves a single term, he would hand over to Obi, which would finally bring the presidency to a region that has felt marginalised since democracy returned in 1999.
Obi’s camp is pushing for a consensus arrangement that would directly support a South Eastern candidate. His supporters cite his strong showing in the 2023 election, where he polled millions of votes despite running on a new platform without an established political structure.
During a recent conversation, Obi said he was willing to run for a single term if selected as the coalition’s candidate.
The Obidient Movement that supported Obi’s 2023 campaign insists that his appeal transcends regional and ethnic lines, making him the strongest candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu.
Obi has insisted that the ADC should clarify its position on zoning before he formally commits to joining the party, indicating that this issue remains paramount in his political calculations.
Former Rivers State governor Chibuike Amaechi recently made his stance known on zoning, telling a gathering of his supporters that in 2015, he had argued strongly that it was the turn of the North to hold power and that it was unfair for the South to contest the presidency then.
He said having supported the North (late Muhammadu Buhari) to get power in 2015, he cannot at this time tell Southerners to support another northerner to become president again.
“What can I tell the South now? ‘No, we do not want the presidency. Let’s go back to the North.’ It would be difficult for me to say that again,” Amaechi said, pointing out the contradiction such a move would create.
Amaechi, whose billboards and posters have flooded Kaduna State, said he cannot accept a vice-presidential position because, according to him, he is “too presidential” for a subordinate role, unless specific conditions are met.
Meanwhile, the ADC has scheduled provisional dates for its internal party congress. The National Secretary, Aregbesola, announced that congresses and delegate elections at polling unit, ward, and local government levels are planned for January 20-27, 2026, followed by a Non-Elective National Convention in Abuja in February 2026.
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