…Obi: Tinubu Plotting to Deny Me a Platform to Contest Against Him in 2027
By Jeremy Fregene
The Presidency has challenged Peter Obi to stop “party-hopping” and instead transform his Obidient movement into a political party, dismissing his camp’s allegations against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as baseless.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga was reacting to a statement by Obi’s media office which had claimed that “a sinister scheme” was being orchestrated by Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, “aimed at denying Obi a platform for the upcoming 2027 poll.”
The Obi camp had alleged that the plan had been “in motion since the conclusion of the 2023 election,” involving “deliberately injecting crises into Obi’s Labour Party to prevent him from securing a foothold for the election,” and that “government infiltrators, aided by a compromised judiciary, have consistently thwarted” efforts to stabilise the party.
It further claimed that even after “the Supreme Court of our land delivered a ruling regarding the rightful control of the party,” the decision was “cavalierly disregarded,” with lower courts allegedly used “to undermine the authority of the Supreme Court.”
The media office also linked Obi’s exit from the Labour Party Nigeria to the crisis, saying he “made the difficult decision to exit the party to safeguard its future,” and alleged that after joining the African Democratic Congress coalition, the ruling party “escalated its efforts to sabotage him,” including “bizarre legislative changes” targeted at weakening his ambition.
It went further to claim that authorities “manipulated the so-called Independent National Electoral Commission to reinterpret an Appeal Court ruling,” resulting in the delisting of ADC leadership and putting Obi at risk of being denied a platform.
But Onanuga dismissed the claims in their entirety, insisting that President Tinubu “has nothing to do with Obi’s abandonment” of the Labour Party or the internal troubles within the ADC.
He argued that Obi’s predicament was self-inflicted, accusing him of failing to resolve the crisis in the Labour Party before exiting. Rather than building on his support base, Onanuga said, Obi retreated to the Obidient movement without converting it into a viable political structure.
“You would think the man would transform the movement into a political party. But no, he didn’t do any such thing,” he said, adding that Obi appeared incapable of building “an organic party of his own.”
Onanuga maintained that Obi’s continued search for political platforms underscored his dependence on existing party structures, describing his move to the ADC as another example of political opportunism.
“What is the connection of Tinubu with the ADC crisis? Absolutely none. Whatever problem they have is self-inflicted,” he said, urging Obi and his allies to resolve their internal disputes rather than “blackmail” the President.
He added that Obi’s prospects for 2027 remain uncertain, stressing that “without being made a candidate, he is inconsequential,” and that his third-place finish in 2023 does not guarantee future success.
Onanuga concluded that allegations against Tinubu were “sheer baloney” and an attempt to “besmirch his democratic credentials,” insisting that Obi should first secure a credible political platform. preferably by formalising his Obidient base, before aspiring to the presidency.