Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, chose Enugu State for his defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), because the South-East wants to make a statement that will shape the 2027 polls.
Vanguard, quoted Yinusa Tanko, Leader of the Obidients Movement, as saying that leaders and members of the Movement, who bolstered Obi’s presidential push in 2023, were already in Enugu, the South-East zonal capital for the defection, adding that Obi had been a member of the ADC coalition all the while and that Wednesday’s event is to chart the way forward for his numerous supporters.
“Enugu is the historical capital of the East, it adds historical solidity when the East wants to make a statement. The programme is for Mr Obi to chart the way forward for his numerous supporters across the country ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The leader is speaking to us tomorrow. The Obidient Movement is here to give their support. I am just leaving the Obidient Movement headquarters. We are here in our numbers.”
Obi had on Monday, reiterated his readiness to contest the 2027 presidential poll, saying he was the best prepared for the job, adding that he had all it would take to fix Nigeria in just four years that he planned to be in power.
Vanguard also quoted another Obidient Movement chieftain as saying: “Obi’s decision to move to the ADC was a hard one but inevitable because the ADC platform is perhaps the only one that is yet to be infiltrated by President Bola Tinubu and his All Progressives Congress, APC.
“It is the only platform which has men and women who have the capacity to pose a real challenge to APC’s dominance. The struggle to build a Nigeria that works for all is not about him, it is about our collective survival as a nation.
“He will be moving into the ADC with a full complement of serving federal and state lawmakers and political heavyweights from across Nigeria who believe in him in order to boost his bargaining power.
“In the game of politics, you must be willing to compromise here and there to get what you want.”
Another ADC chieftain said: “Obi like any other Nigerian is welcome to join us. Our doors are wide open and our candidate selection process will be transparent.”