Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A senior chieftain of the African Democratic Congress has dismissed former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s much-publicised reasons for abandoning the opposition coalition, accusing him instead of fleeing the party out of fear of facing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in a fair primary contest. Oladimeji Fabiyi, the Deputy National Financial Secretary of the ADC, made the allegation on Tuesday during a live appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’, where he also lashed out at Obi and his political ally, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, for seeking a “coronation” rather than submitting themselves to a competitive democratic process.
According to Fabiyi, the recent wave of defections to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has nothing to do with the leadership style of Atiku Abubakar or the internal court cases that Obi has repeatedly cited as justification for his exit. He insisted that Obi’s real motive was to avoid a head-to-head battle with the former vice president, whom he described as a unifying force who brought all opposition elements together to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
“Peter Obi left the ADC because he was so scared of Atiku Abubakar,” Fabiyi declared. “Obi and Kwankwaso wanted to bring in a coronation. Let me make this abundantly clear: this has nothing to do with Atiku Abubakar. What Atiku did was to call for the convergence of all opposition elements. It started from the PDP, and he rallied every individual. He convinced them. That is leadership.” Fabiyi further argued that the only viable path to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress is through a united opposition front, and that Atiku had demonstrated the requisite statesmanship by advocating for free and fair primaries as the mechanism for selecting the coalition’s flagbearer. “The law provides for two options: either direct primaries or consensus. Now they want to bring in coronation. It’s not going to happen in our democratic lexicon,” he said, adding that a candidate who is afraid of a primary election has no business aspiring to lead a nation of over 250 million people.
The ADC chieftain’s remarks represent the most pointed response yet from the party’s leadership following a week of stunning political realignments. On Sunday, Obi and Kwankwaso formally resigned from the ADC and were issued membership cards of the NDC by former Bayelsa State governor Senator Seriake Dickson, a move that triggered an immediate exodus of 17 House of Representatives members from the ADC to the NDC. The defectors, which included prominent lawmakers such as Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, and Adamu Wakili, cited unresolved legal crises, internal divisions, and the growing dominance of certain political interests within the ADC. However, Fabiyi rejected those explanations, describing them as convenient excuses designed to mask a lack of political courage.
He also took aim at Obi’s personal leadership style. “Peter Obi is not a man who likes to face challenges; he is not a leader who wants to fight for the people; he wants to fight for himself,” Fabiyi said. He noted that he was relieved Obi did not blame Atiku Abubakar or Senate President David Mark in his resignation letter, but insisted that the repeated pattern of fleeing political platforms—first the Labour Party, now the ADC—reveals a fundamental unwillingness to engage in political struggles. “You are trying to lead a country of over 250 million and you are so scared to face a challenge of common primaries? For me, it is below the belt,” Fabiyi added.
The ADC chieftain’s accusations found support from other quarters. Bayo Onanuga, a media aide to President Tinubu, had earlier labelled Obi a “political nomad” who only pursues the easy road. Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide, mocked Obi’s defections as evidence that he could not compete with Atiku’s political machinery. Meanwhile, the ADC itself has sought to downplay the mass defections. Party spokesman Abdulsamad Abdullahi described the loss of Obi and Kwankwaso as a “setback but not a fatal blow,” insisting that the party remains focused on its goal of uniting the opposition.
However, the wave of defections has drawn a sharp rebuttal from lawmakers who remain in the ADC. On the same ‘Politics Today’ programme, House of Representatives member Ifeanyi Uzokwe (Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo) directly contradicted Fabiyi’s version of events, alleging that Atiku’s attempt to dominate the coalition was the primary reason for the exodus. “We left ADC because His Excellency Atiku Abubakar said that the coalition was formed in his house, that ADC is his party, that nobody will tell him anything,” Uzokwe said. “The ambition of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar is what killed the PDP.” He added that the unresolved leadership litigation was deliberately kept simmering by Atiku’s associates to shape the party’s primaries in their principal’s favour, creating an environment Obi and Kwankwaso could no longer tolerate.
Yet Fabiyi dismissed Uzokwe’s claims as another attempt to shift blame. “Atiku is not your problem. The party is not your problem. Court cases are not your problem,” he told the defectors. He reiterated that the ADC would not accept any form of automatic ticket or coronation, and that any aspirant who cannot face the internal heat of a primary election is unworthy of the presidency. “Atiku Abubakar said let’s go into free, fair primaries and the next thing you can do is to run away? They should go and tell that to the marines,” Fabiyi said.
As the political realignments continue, the future of the opposition remains uncertain. The NDC, now boosted by the addition of Obi, Kwankwaso, and 17 House members, is positioning itself as a major contender for the 2027 elections. But the party’s legal standing is already being challenged, with the founder of the All Democratic Alliance vowing to contest its registration in court. The ADC, meanwhile, insists that it will proceed with its primaries and produce a candidate capable of defeating President Tinubu. Fabiyi’s parting shot was unambiguous: “We will not accept a coronation. If they cannot give leadership to Atiku, we will give it to him, and he should give it to himself.”
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