•Atiku, El-Rufai, Obi
The newly formed African Democratic Congress has clarified that Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, have been exempted from defecting from their current political platforms ahead of the 2027 polls.
The interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, confirmed the development in an exclusive phone interview with our correspondent yesterday, reports The PUNCH.
His clarification followed a stern warning issued on Tuesday by the interim National Chairman of the ADC, David Mark, who insisted that the party under his watch would brook no form of anti-party activities or indiscipline.
Mark, while addressing members of the party in Abuja, declared that “There will be zero tolerance for anti-party and any form of indiscipline; you are either in ADC or not in ADC. No mid-way in this business, and those not with us, we will not carry them along.
“Those who are not totally committed will not be carried along. We shall reverse our grassroots leadership structures to reflect modern realities from the polling units upwards to the national level. Every organ reenergised.
“We will open the gates for the next generations, our policies, nominations and roles will reflect such.”
The ADC, which was recently adopted as the flagship platform of the opposition coalition, is widely believed to be courting Obi and other influential politicians who have yet to formally declare for the party.
But the camp of the former Anambra State governor dismissed fears over Mark’s warning, insisting that their principal had already clarified his position to the coalition leaders.
The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, told our correspondent that Obi would not be stampeded into taking any irrational decision.
He said, “Even before we got into the issue of the coalition, our principal had made his position known ab initio, that he is still a Labour Party man and the coalition that he joined is for 2027.
“Obi actually made that clear when the coalition was at the formation stage. So we don’t see it as anything because we already made our position known right from the beginning.”
When contacted to confirm Tanko’s position, Abdullahi affirmed that both Obi and El-Rufai had been granted a waiver to remain in their legacy parties for now.
He explained: “Absolutely! Obi is correct. This applies to himself and Nasir (El-Rufai). This is because their supporters and allies have obtained forms to contest the election in their legacy parties.
“So we cannot ask them to defect. It will affect the structures of those following them. They were therefore granted a concession to remain in their parties until after the election.
“In a nutshell, they requested a concession and they were granted.”
Meanwhile, Obi has distanced himself from the viral separate statements currently making the rounds on social media and online platforms.
His media aide, Umar Ibrahim, clarified in a press release yesterday.
One of the viral statements allegedly claimed Obi denied returning to the Peoples Democratic Party and reaffirmed his commitment to the African Democratic Congress.
The other suggested that he had been offered the position of National Organising Secretary in the ADC.
Ibrahim, however, clarified that neither of the two purported statements originated from Obi or his media office.
He said, “Peter Obi has been unequivocal in his position in the ongoing coalition and didn’t need anyone to put words into his mouth.”
“He has remained focused on his mission but would not accept anybody attributing a statement to him just to satisfy their devious agenda.”
The former Anambra governor, who has remained a subject of widespread political speculation, continues to stay focused on his mission to build “a new Nigeria of our dreams.”
The media office, therefore, urged the public to “disregard any statement purported to come from him outside his media office or his official handle.”
