2027: ‘Zoning not on the table, make up your mind’ — ADC tells Obi
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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, to make up his mind on whether he intends to join the party or not.
The party maintained that the former Governor of Anambra won’t be pressured into membership despite his influence within its coalition.
Obi had on Wednesday expressed concerns that the ADC-led coalition was “faltering” due to unresolved issues around zoning and rotation of key political offices.
He nonetheless voiced confidence in the leaders steering the process, including former Senate President David Mark and ex–Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Reacting, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC spokesperson, in an interview, said the coalition had not reached the stage where zoning should be considered, stressing that its immediate priority is presenting itself as a credible political alternative to Nigerians.
“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,” he said.
Abdullahi encouraged Obi to reach a clear decision on his political alignment ahead of the 2027 polls.
“I understand what Peter has been saying. But I will encourage him to make up his mind if he wants to be part of the coalition or not. The most important thing for us is how we can convince Nigerians that we represent the credible alternative, and this is without prejudice to where the candidate will come from,” Abdullahi said.
He added that while the party values Obi’s contributions, its development agenda remains paramount.
“For us, we want Peter Obi to join us in building a political party that can reset Nigerian politics and provide a credible alternative. But if zoning is the condition on which he continues to assess the coalition, he should probably wait until we get to that point,” the ADC spokesperson insisted.
Addressing Obi’s earlier comments describing the coalition as unstable, Abdullahi disagreed, insisting the movement remains firm.
“It’s unfortunate that he used a word like unstable, because instability is not contingent on whether we are able to make certain decisions on zoning at this point. We are stable. Within five months, we have offices in 27 or 28 states without a single political officeholder. That’s a major achievement,” he stated.
He urged Obi to contribute more actively to party-building efforts, especially in Anambra State.
“We want him to be part of our journey. We want him to be part of building the party,” he added.
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