Divergent views have emerged within the political camp of former Anambra State governor Peter Obi over what direction to take if he loses the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.
While the Obidient Movement has pledged to remain in the ADC regardless of the outcome of the primary, a prominent Obi supporter and political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, has warned that he would withdraw his support if Obi settles for a vice-presidential slot.
National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Tanko Yunusa, stated the movement’s position on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. He said Obi’s supporters were committed to democratic values and would abide by the outcome of a transparent primary process.
“As democrats, we will go in there and contest equitably well with every contestant based on democratic tenets,” Yunusa said. “We believe that at the end of it all, Mr Peter Obi will emerge victorious with the large teeming population that he is bringing into the ADC.”
Asked what the movement would do if Atiku clinched the party’s ticket, Yunusa said the Obidients would not abandon the party.
“We will remain in the party and give the party the lease of life it demands democratically,” he said.
Yunusa argued that the ADC gained nationwide momentum only after Obi’s entry, describing the party as a political vehicle energised by the former governor’s popularity.
“With all due respect to the ADC, it got its traction when people came around and agreed. The vehicle of ADC kick-started yesterday with one ignition kick, and that is the excitement that His Excellency Mr Peter Obi has brought to it,” he said.
He added that the Obidient Movement, driven largely by young Nigerians seeking good governance and accountability, is ready to mobilise millions of supporters into the ADC.
“They have made that position known very clearly, and they are going to move in their millions into the ADC. That is an affirmation,” Yunusa added.
However, Utomi took a firmer stance later on Thursday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, insisting that Obi must contest only for the presidency.
“I can tell you that Peter Obi will contest for the presidency,” Utomi said. “The day he becomes somebody’s vice president, I walk away from his corner. I can tell you that for a fact.”
Utomi was reacting to claims by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), that Obi had already agreed to run as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate on the ADC platform in 2027.
Expanding the debate, Utomi also criticised Nigeria’s political leadership culture, describing the presidency as increasingly resembling a “retirement home.”
“Something important about this election to bear in mind is that the Nigerian presidency has become a retirement home where people go for the Nigerian state to pay their medical bills,” he said.
He criticised both former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, describing their administrations as “government in absentia,” and called for an age cap of 70 years for presidential and gubernatorial candidates.
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