Bashir Ahmad, a former aide to the president has condemned Peter Obi for reportedly planning to dump the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the National Democratic Coalition (NDC).
The recent Supreme Court judgment that brought an end to the long drawn out crisis of leadership in the ADC had ignited speculations on possible defection of Obi. Obi and his camp have not officially confirmed, but some political observers believe he may be considering a move to the NDC after the ruling.
Ahmad suggested in a post on his X handle on Saturday that such a move, if true, would be a sign of an effort to avoid internal party competition.
“Reports and indications are that Peter Obi and his blind followers are considering another political move away from their present platform, the ADC,” he wrote.
The question here is whether Peter is leaving to avoid facing other contenders in his party. It is the same road he once embraced in 2022 leading to the 2023 presidential election,” he added.
He said party primaries remain the acid test of democratic strength and leadership credibility.
“If a political figure is so afraid to test his popularity in his own party structure, then it raises questions about how he intends to build the broad national consensus required to lead a country as diverse and complex as Nigeria,” Ahmad said.
“Internal party contests are a key part of democracy,” he said. “If you find it difficult to compete within a party, the question is: how do you think you can lead the country?”
“Party primaries are a key part of democracy. “If Peter struggles to compete fairly among fellow aspirants within his own party, it will be difficult to convincingly argue that he can unify and lead an entire nation with diverse interests and strong political contenders,” he said.
As at the time of filing this report, Peter Obi has not reacted publicly on the defection speculation.
