Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The ruling All Progressives Congress has launched a blistering attack on former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi following his formal exit from the African Democratic Congress and his subsequent defection to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, accusing him of abandoning every political platform simply because party leaders refused to hand him a free presidential ticket. In a statement issued on Monday, May 4, 2026, the APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described Obi as a political tourist who moves from one party to another whenever he realises that he cannot dictate every condition of his candidacy. Morka’s comments came just hours after Obi and his ally, former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, formally joined the NDC, ending weeks of speculation about their next political home. “Peter Obi has now been a member of APGA, PDP, LP, ADC, and now NDC. What exactly is he looking for? He is looking for a party that will hand him a presidential ticket on a silver platter without any internal contest,” Morka said in a statement sent to journalists in Abuja.
The APC spokesperson did not mince words. He argued that Obi’s departure from the ADC was triggered not by principle or ideology but by the uncomfortable reality that the ADC’s leadership was unwilling to zone its presidential ticket exclusively to him. “He left the Labour Party because he could not control its structure. He left the ADC because Senator David Mark and others told him there would be primaries. Now he has run to the NDC, a party with no national structure, hoping that Senator Seriake Dickson will simply hand him the crown. That is not democracy. That is a desperate search for a shortcut,” Morka added. The APC’s attack is part of a broader strategy to paint the opposition alliance as opportunistic and unstable, hoping to undermine the credibility of the emerging Obi‑Kwankwaso ticket before it even takes shape.
Morka also took a swipe at the NDC itself, describing it as a “mushroom party” that has never won a single governorship or produced a national legislator outside of its founding members. “The NDC is not a political party. It is a hotel for political nomads. Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso have checked into a hotel that will be closed by the time the election arrives,” he said. The APC’s dismissive tone is intended to project confidence, but behind the scenes, party strategists are reportedly concerned that a united Obi‑Kwankwaso ticket could siphon significant votes from the APC in key swing states. In the 2023 election, Obi won over eight million votes largely from young urban voters, while Kwankwaso took more than one million votes from his stronghold in Kano and the North West. Combined, they could pose a real threat, especially if the economic situation does not improve before 2027.
In his resignation letter from the ADC, Obi had cited “endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division” as his reasons for leaving. He also claimed that state agents had infiltrated the ADC to cripple the opposition. The APC, however, dismissed those claims as excuses for political impatience. “Obi is a man in a hurry. He cannot wait for party congresses. He cannot wait for primaries. He wants everything on his terms, and when he doesn’t get it, he throws a tantrum and runs to the next party that will promise him the world,” Morka said. He further accused the former Anambra governor of lacking the temperament and loyalty required to lead a nation. “How can you trust a man who cannot stay in one political party for more than two years? He will be a president who resigns from the country when things get tough.”
The APC’s mockery is not without political calculation. The party is aware that constant party switching is a vulnerability for any candidate, particularly one who built his 2023 campaign around the theme of a “new Nigeria” and a break from old‑style politics. By highlighting Obi’s frequent moves, the APC hopes to erode the image of him as a principled, untainted alternative to the establishment. The ruling party’s statement also attempted to drive a wedge between Obi and Kwankwaso, noting that Kwankwaso had also left the NNPP and the ADC to join the NDC. “Two serial defectors have found each other. It is a match made in political heaven,” Morka said sarcastically.
Reactions from the opposition have been swift. The NDC’s deputy national publicity secretary, Abdulmumin Ohiare Abdulsalam, dismissed the APC’s comments as the noise of a nervous party. “The APC is scared. They see that the opposition is finally uniting, and they are panicking. Calling us a mushroom party does not change the fact that Nigerians are hungry, angry, and ready for change,” Abdulsalam said. Similarly, the Obi‑Kwankwaso movement’s spokesperson, Yunusa Tanko, said the APC’s mockery only proves that the ruling party has no agenda beyond attacking its critics. “They cannot defend their failures in security, economy, and education. So they resort to name‑calling. Let them laugh. The last laugh will be in 2027,” Tanko said.
Political analysts, however, caution that the APC’s line of attack could resonate with voters who value stability and consistency. “In Nigerian politics, party loyalty is not a major factor for most voters, but it becomes a talking point when a candidate has changed parties four times in a decade. The APC will keep hammering on this,” said political analyst Jide Ojo. He noted that Obi’s political brand has largely survived previous defections because his supporters see those moves as necessary escapes from corrupt or dysfunctional party structures. But the NDC move is different. “The ADC was supposed to be the final coalition platform. Leaving it so quickly makes Obi look erratic, even to some of his admirers,” Ojo added.
As the dust settles on Obi and Kwankwaso’s formal entry into the NDC, the APC has made it clear that it will not let any defection go unanswered. The ruling party plans to release a series of campaign materials highlighting Obi’s party‑hopping history, complete with timelines and quotes from his past criticisms of defectors. For now, the war of words is just beginning. But as Monday turned to evening, one thing was certain: the APC has thrown its first punch, and the opposition is already swinging back.
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