Academic and political economist, Pat Utomi, has said that former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi’s exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), was a timely and strategic decision. He described the exit as a necessary escape from a compromised political process.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Utomi said the recent controversies within the ADC further cemented fears that the internal processes of the party were already skewed. “Powerful players have increasingly eroded the credibility of party primaries in Nigeria through political manoeuvring,” he said.
“In the light of hindsight… it was almost a foregone conclusion that it was going to go in a particular direction. So it was a pretty smart move by him,” he added.
“I was out of the country when Obi’s political realignment took place and I was not aware of the plan beforehand,” Utomi said. He said he had initially advised political actors aligned with Obi to stay within the ADC and test their strength via internal competition.
“I was away when the move became a reality. “I wasn’t aware of the plans,” he said, adding he had previously argued that remaining within the party was the best way to challenge internal structures.
But he said that the events in the ADC pointed to deeper problems with internal democracy, which in his view, justified Obi’s decision to leave.
“But also I was very cognizant of games being played… a very undemocratic kind of process being used to keep a certain candidate off the ballot,” he said.
He said at the time of the election, polling data showed Obi had a good chance of winning a party ticket if transparent process had been allowed. Still, he said, power brokers often override such results.
He said that “party hierarchies and bosses” have turned internal elections into a “make-believe democratic process.”
Utomi also took the opportunity of the interview to highlight broader issues in Nigeria’s political system, which he said, invariably stifles talent while advancing recycled political actors without new ideas or any track record.
“What we have done is to continue this process within the Big Tent to do a manifesto for Nigeria,” he said, explaining that the initiative would focus on identifying credible candidates across party lines based on competence and vision rather than party affiliation.
The movement will back candidates who promise to push for governance reforms, regardless of their political platform, he said.
The scholar also castigated Nigeria’s political culture, saying it is too driven by ambition for office and not service. This attitude has sapped the strength of opposition politics and helped lead to national stagnation, he argued.
“This obsession with power and public office is a disease,” he said, calling for a fundamental change in political attitudes.
On electoral reforms, Utomi said the issue of live transmission of results from polling units was an initiative of the Big Tent and not the NDC as reported in some quarters. “The plan is still in development as part of a broader effort to increase transparency through multiple independent monitoring channels,” he said.
He also called for tougher norms on political defections, saying rampant party hopping undermines accountability and weakens democratic institutions.
Criticising the system, Utomi said Nigeria still has the capacity for renewal if competent leadership is allowed to emerge through credible processes.
