The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has accused Peter Obi of not being interested in the party’s policy positions during his short-lived membership, saying he was only interested in getting the party’s ticket for the presidential race.
Abdullahi disclosed this on Monday while featuring on Arise News’ Prime Time programme, the same appearance where he earlier described Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso’s exit from the ADC as a setback but not a fatal blow.
The party had spent months developing a manifesto with clear policy positions, but Obi never engaged with the process, Abdullahi said.
“You may also invite His Excellency Peter Obi and ask him, what is the ADC position on fuel subsidy? What is the framework of the ADC on security? He doesn’t know, never been interested. “They are just waiting for the tickets to be handed to them,” he said.
He said members of the ADC fall into three broad categories; those using the party as a mere platform to contest elections, those committed to ending what they described as the misgovernance of the ruling All Progressives Congress and those genuinely interested in building a real political party anchored on policy.
Abdullahi seemed to put Obi in the first category, contrasting his conduct with the party’s expectations.
“If you say you want to contest election and you believe in the country, in changing the country, you should know what your party stands for,” he said.
When asked if the ADC can form a credible opposition coalition for 2027, Abdullahi was optimistic.
“No, no, no, certainly. Maybe it’s a setback but it’s a temporary setback. We are re-calibrating. We are coming back stronger. Has it dented our chances, the possibility of a three horse race? Maybe. Mortally? “No,” he said.
He also dismissed reports that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had emerged as the leading contender for the ADC’s presidential ticket following the exodus.
“This party ADC is not going to be an SPV for anybody,” he said, adding that former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi was still among the contenders.
Obi and Kwankwaso joined the ADC in March 2026, as part of a broad opposition coalition aimed at challenging the APC in the 2027 general elections.
The two men resigned from the party on Sunday, citing internal crises, court cases and what they described as deliberate attempts to frustrate their participation in the electoral process.
Since then they have joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress where they have campaigned for an end to litigation-driven politics.
Obi had said his decision to leave was not motivated by personal ambition but by the need to rescue Nigeria, describing the pattern of internal crises as one he had also encountered in the Labour Party.
