Former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has finalised plans to exit the crisis-ridden party to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC). This comes as negotiations for a coalition ahead of the 2027 elections are facing challenges over zoning arrangements.
The LP has been enmeshed in a leadership crisis that has divided it into two factions. One faction is led by Julius Abure while Senator Nenadi Usman controls the other. 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 Daily Sun that INEC’s indecision on the leadership issue has worsened the party’s internal problems, prompting the former governor to seek an alternative platform. He has begun consulting with key stakeholders in the LP, including Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti and lawmakers about his planned departure.
For the ADC, its coalition effort is aimed at challenging the All Progressives Congress (APC). Those spearheading it includes former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Obi, former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal, former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, former Rivers governor, Chibuike Amaechi, former Senate president, David Mark and former Osun State governor, Raud Argbesola. However, the coalition is experiencing internal divisions over who should lead the ticket.
The ADC is split into three camps. One is supporting Atiku, the other Obi while the last is made up of those 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. His 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. But his critics within the coalition have raised concerns about a repeat of 2019 when Atiku ran with Obi as his running mate and lost to the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari. They wonder whether a similar ticket arrangement could produce different results in 2027. In early May, Daily Sun learnt that 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.
However, 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, on his own part, 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.
Amaechi recently made his stance known on the issue of zoning, where he told 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. He said the South cannot be denied the presidency simply because the north wants power.
“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,” he 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.
Credit: The Sun