Former vice president Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who was his running mate in the presidential (s)election of 2019, but ran in 2023 under the banner of the Labour Party, formed a coalition last month – The African Democratic Congress (ADC) – in an attempt to unseat the incumbent president Bola Tinubu in 2027.
Obi’s fanatical followers, aka Obidients, have convinced themselves that their man is an irresistible force in Nigerian politics. However, the irresistible force has now met an immovable object in Atiku. As we predicted in the first days of the coalition, Atiku is not giving up his presidential ambition for anyone.
Why the ADC coalition against Tinubu is DOA (Dead On Arrival)
The Atiku camp has tried every trick in the book to get Obi to step down to no avail. Any sign of wavering from Obi has been met with virulent hostility from his supporters. A source close to Obi has revealed to Naijiant.com that allies of the former Anambra State governor have made it clear to him that “it’s the presidency or bust”. They won’t take second position as an option and would “immediately abandon” Obi if he accepted that “poisoned chalice” from Atiku.
Obi’s flirting with the ADC has already put him at odds with some elements in the Labour Party. The source said their man is not going back to LP when Atiku inevitably wins the nomination of the ADC. According to the source, arrangements have been finalised for Obi and his followers to move to the Zenith Labour Party and run under that platform.
The ZLP was formed by Dan Nwanyanwu, the former chairman of LP, after he left the party in 2014. ZLP would be Obi’s fourth party, following stints with the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, and LP.
