ADC faults Peter Obi’s comment, challenges him to build coalition party in Anambra
By Adeola Atanda
The African Democratic Congress, a fledging opposition coalition constituted to stop President Bola Tinubu’s possible reelection in 2027, has responded to ex-presidential candidate Peter Obi’s concerns over its state of affairs. Obi had said that the political coalition was faltering, and that he expected it to take a decision on the zoning of its presidential ticket.
In the response, Bolaji Abdullahi, a former minister and spokesperson for the ADC, told Punch that it was premature to talk about zoning the party’s ticket.
He said, “We’re not talking about zoning or no zoning now. Nigerians are still waiting for us to tell them what we will do differently.”
“So, zoning or no zoning is not on the table now. If that is the condition for Obi to join us, maybe he should wait till that time.”
Abdullahi urged Obi “to make up his mind if he wants to be part of the coalition or not.
“For us, we want Peter Obi to join us in building a political party that can reset Nigerian politics and provide a credible alternative to Nigerians.”
“But if that is the condition on which he is going to continue to be part of the coalition or make up his mind about the coalition, he should probably wait until we get to that point and make that decision.
Abdullahi also countered Obi’s comment that the new party was experiencing a faltering start.
“It’s unfortunate that he (Obi) used a word like unstable, because instability is not contingent on whether we are able to make certain decisions on zoning at this point or not,” he said.
“We are stable. Within five months, we have offices in 27 or 28 states as of last count, without a single political officeholder. That’s a major achievement.
“We would like to see Peter Obi go to Anambra and support efforts to build the party like other leaders have done in their respective states. The party will continue to encourage him.
“We want him to be part of our journey. We want him to be part of building the party.”
