Peter Obi’s decision to pitch his presidential tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 elections has been welcomed as a boost for the opposition, but party insiders have moved quickly to temper expectations that the ticket will come easily.
Ralph Nwosu, a former national chairman of the ADC, said the Labour party’s 2023 presidential candidate would have to lobby and compete with other senior figures within the party if he hopes to emerge as its flagbearer. The ADC, he insisted, would not abandon its internal democratic processes for any individual, however popular.
Obi formally joined the ADC on Wednesday in Enugu, using the occasion to urge his political allies, members of the Obidient movement and opposition leaders across the country to rally around what he described as a broad national coalition. The former Anambra state governor said the move was driven by a sense of urgency about Nigeria’s direction.
“This decision is guided solely by patriotism and national interest,” Obi said at the event. “I now respectfully call on my political associates, the Obidient movement, and opposition leaders across the country to join this broad national coalition under the African Democratic Congress. History will not forgive silence in moments of national peril.”
Obi accused the current administration of state capture, economic mismanagement and the steady erosion of democratic values, framing his defection as part of a wider effort to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline”.
Within the Obidient movement, the message was more explicit. Speaking after the declaration, Obi’s aide and the group’s national coordinator, Yunusa Tanko, said the ultimate objective of joining the ADC was clear: securing the party’s presidential ticket in 2027.
“That’s our aim,” Tanko said. “By the grace of God, we will achieve it.”
Tanko said the movement’s leadership was already working on integrating supporters into the party, with plans to mobilise young people and first-time participants on a massive scale. “We won’t put a figure on the number of youths we will bring into the ADC,” he said, “but millions of Nigerians will be brought into the party. And the process will continue right up to election day.”
Nwosu, however, offered a note of caution. In an interview, he said Obi’s popularity did not exempt him from the realities of party politics. “There are many very important persons in the ADC who will compete with Obi to become the party’s standard-bearer in 2027,” he said. “ADC is a political party. It’s not like some parties where things are done anyhow.”
Recalling the party’s origins in the struggle for democratic rule in the late 1990s, Nwosu said internal competition was central to its identity. “There will be compromises and elections. People will lobby each other because everybody is a VIP in the party,” he said. “If you join today and want to run, you may even be the one who gets the ticket.”
While noting that Obi had been involved in the processes that led to the formation of the ADC as a coalition party, Nwosu suggested the latest move was only one step in a longer strategy. “He has always been part of it,” he said. “But we plan to unveil our strategy bit by bit. What you have seen today is just part of our plans for dominance, particularly in the south-east.”
For Nwosu, the real source of the party’s strength lies less in individual personalities than in popular discontent with the status quo. “The personalities are there, but the party has been taken over by the Nigerian people,” he said, echoing remarks made at the event by activist Aisha Yesufu.
He framed the coming election as a confrontation between citizens and a political establishment he described as oppressive. “Some governors and others may think they can use public funds to influence the system,” Nwosu said. “But the people will teach them a big lesson.”
He was equally blunt about the ruling party’s prospects. “Generally, defeating Tinubu is easy because the people are already fed up with him,” Nwosu said. “Go to the streets of Lagos – the hardship is glaring for all to see.”
As Nigeria’s opposition begins to reorganise for 2027, Obi’s arrival has injected new energy into the ADC. But the message from the party’s old guard is unmistakable: enthusiasm alone will not be enough. The ticket, they insist, must still be earned.
