Abuja - The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused former presidential candidate Peter Obi of ignoring the party's policy positions during his short membership and focusing only on securing the 2027 presidential ticket.
The charge was made by ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi on Monday during an interview on Arise News' Prime Time programme. Abdullahi said the party spent months crafting a manifesto with clear policy positions, but Obi never engaged with the process.
A manifesto committee worked for two to three months to produce a document outlining what the ADC would do differently, Abdullahi said. He challenged anyone to ask Obi basic questions about the party's positions. "What is the ADC position on fuel subsidy? What is the ADC's framework on security? He doesn't know, because he's never been interested," Abdullahi stated.
Abdullahi said some politicians viewed the ADC as nothing more than a vehicle to get on the ballot. He described three distinct groups within the party: those using it solely to contest elections, those committed to ending what they call the misgovernance of the ruling All Progressives Congress, and those working to build a genuine political party anchored on policy.
The spokesman appeared to group Obi in the first category. "If you say you want to contest an election, and you believe in changing the country, you should know what your party stands for," he said.
Abdullahi also revealed that Obi received significant concessions during his time with the ADC, including the opportunity to nominate the National Organising Secretary, a position he described as the operational backbone of the party. "None of the aspirants or leaders was given as much consideration as Peter Obi," he said.
The comments come one day after Obi and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso quit the ADC and joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress. Both men cited internal crises, court cases, and what they described as deliberate efforts to frustrate their participation in the electoral process.
Obi said his exit was not driven by personal ambition but by the need to rescue Nigeria. He drew a parallel with his earlier departure from the Labour Party, saying both were caused by internal crises and litigation designed to shut him out of the process.
Abdullahi acknowledged the departures were a setback but insisted they were not a fatal blow. "Is it a setback? The answer is yes. Is it a fatal blow? The answer is no, because the objectives are very clear. They are still the same," he said.
He added that the exits had relieved some internal pressure. "In a way, it's a bit of relief. Now we can focus on really doing what we need to do without being under the pressure cooker that they were trying to put us in," he said.
The ADC spokesman also pushed back against suggestions that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had become the frontrunner for the party's presidential ticket following the departures. He said the ADC would not serve as a special purpose vehicle for any individual and confirmed that former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi remained among the contenders.
Obi and Kwankwaso had joined the ADC in March 2026 as part of a broad opposition coalition aimed at challenging the APC in the 2027 general elections. Their exit has raised fresh questions about opposition unity ahead of the polls.
The ADC has said it remains focused on presenting credible candidates for all elective positions in 2027. In a statement on Saturday, Abdullahi described reports suggesting the party would be unable to field candidates as unfounded and without any basis in law.