Jonathan or Obi? Amadi Says South East Wants Only One on the Ballot

…Ex-NERC Boss, Obi loyalist, Says Only Jonathan or Obi Can Regenerate Nigeria

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Former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and prominent Peter Obi supporter, Sam Amadi, has told KTH Daily in an exclusive interview that the South East would prefer to rally behind either former President Goodluck Jonathan or Obi, but not both.

Amadi’s comments came after his earlier statement that if a “clean slate” candidate like Obi is not on the 2027 ballot, it may be better to let President Bola Tinubu complete a second term rather than return to the politics of the past.
“Stable incompetence is better than unstable incompetence,” he had argued.

Expanding on his position in an interview with this newspaper, Amadi said Nigeria must pivot decisively away from the old order and embrace new, credible leadership.

“The situation in the country is that we need to make a pivot away from the politics of the past. We have suffered in the endless dancing chair of bad governance. It is now time for Nigeria to experience a new lease of life, a real change of politics. This notion of ‘anything but Tinubu’ will not satisfy the demand and hope of young Nigerians. They want something that is fresh and inspirational.”

According to Amadi, only Jonathan and Obi represent that kind of credible change.
“The two best options for regenerating Nigeria are President Goodluck Jonathan and Mr. Peter Obi. Jonathan was president till 2015 when a coalition removed him from power through organized conspiracy. The irony is that the coalition claimed it was a transformational moment for Nigeria and it fielded a Buhari whose pedigree should not inspire hope of regeneration. Buhari ruined the country and reversed Nigeria 40 years back. We lost our prime economic position in Africa and became one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Democracy lost its bearing such that we are now officially rated ‘electoral autocracy’.”

He stressed that the challenge in 2027 is to avoid repeating the errors of the past.
“It is true that Tinubu has failed. We need to make sure we do not replace disaster with more disaster. Only Peter Obi and President Goodluck Jonathan are credible choices in the present circumstances,” he said.

Turning to the Jonathan–Obi dilemma, Amadi was categorical:
“It is better Jonathan runs, but not against Peter. If Peter is not there, Jonathan would be the number one choice of the South East. It will be best to have only one of them on the ballot.”

His remarks underline the growing unease among Jonathan-era loyalists who now also identify with Obi’s “clean slate” politics. With former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai aggressively marketing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the South East, speculation remains whether Obi can secure the party’s ticket for 2027.

For Amadi, however, the imperative is unity: without Obi or Jonathan, he warned, Nigeria risks being trapped once again in the cycle of failed leadership that has defined the last decade.