The Presidency has described former presidential candidate Peter Obi as the Most Valuable Player in nomadic politics. This characterization comes after Obi announced his departure from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a party he joined only a few months ago after leaving the Labour Party, which fielded him as its presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.
Obi's Statement on Leaving ADC
In a statement, Obi explained that his decision to leave the ADC was not due to mistreatment by the party's National Chairman, Senator David Mark, nor because of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He also emphasized that nothing wrong was personally done to him by other respected leaders in the party, whom he continues to respect. However, he pointed out that the same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party—forcing him to leave—now appear to be infiltrating the ADC. He cited endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division, which distract from addressing deeper national problems and promoting politics built on service and nation-building rather than control and exclusion.
Presidential Aide's Reaction
Reacting to Obi's defection, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated that Obi actually left the ADC because he could not confront other presidential hopefuls for the party's ticket. Onanuga wrote on X: "We told you so. The political nomad is on the move again. Ignore all those puerile reasons he gave in these illogical musings, a self-serving letter to his mob. Peter Obi is a politician made of jelly, an opportunistic fellow. He can't fight Atiku or Amaechi for the ticket of ADC. He pursues the easy road, that will only lead him to doom, like in 2023. He always blames the government without doing a soul-searching of himself. Welcome, Peter to the 2027 race."
Bwala's Prediction
Similarly, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to the President, recalled that he had predicted Obi would not run for the presidency under the ADC. He said: "I said it 6 months ago that Obi will not run under ADC, now it is coming to fruition. Not a single tweet from @PeterObi propagandists @ruffydfire and other half-empty Trojans in CSO and NGO about what they complain about changing parties. If it were a topic on Bwala, Rufai would have made 20 tweets. Peter Obi is now the undisputed MVP on nomadic politics; Rufai, if you have balls, I expect you on Monday morning to be weeping and crying while analyzing the hopelessness of career defectors and let's see if your customers (Obidients) would not deplete your social media and radio revenue and earnings. I also expect your clown colleague @ayomairoese (she knows herself) to do the same."
