2027: Okonkwo’s U-Turn on Obi Highlights ADC’s Strategy

By Naija Enquirer Staff

Kenneth Okonkwo, a senior figure in Nigeria’s African Democratic Congress (ADC), has urged supporters of former Anambra State governor Peter Obi to formally join the party, marking a sharp shift from his earlier criticism of the Labour Party leader following the 2023 presidential election.

Speaking during a recent interview, Mr Okonkwo said Obi’s support base — popularly known as the Obidient movement — could no longer afford political flexibility if it was serious about winning power in 2027. According to him, those who fail to register with the ADC cannot genuinely claim allegiance to the movement.

“If you are an Obidient and you’re not in the ADC, sorry, you are not an Obidient — you are a disObidient,” he said.

The remarks represent a notable departure from Mr Okonkwo’s earlier stance while he was still in the Labour Party, when he defended the idea that Obi’s supporters could operate across multiple political platforms. He now describes that approach as a “tactical mistake”.

From Post-Election Fallout to Political Realignment

Mr Okonkwo was a prominent spokesperson for Mr Obi during the 2023 presidential campaign, but relations between the two deteriorated in the months that followed the election.

By mid-2024, he publicly questioned Obi’s leadership style and accused the Labour Party of lacking the internal cohesion required to compete effectively at a national level.

His departure from the party in February 2025 was framed as a strategic decision rather than a personal one. He argued that Labour was not preparing seriously for the next election cycle and that opposition politics required firmer organisational discipline.

That view now underpins his defence of the ADC, which he describes as a party built around internal democracy and ideological consistency. According to him, no individual — including high-profile defectors — is allowed to dictate terms to the party.

“No leader or opposition figure was allowed to give conditions before entering,” he said, adding that the ADC’s slow but deliberate growth was designed to lay what he called a “solid foundation”.

A Broader Bid to Inherit Obi’s Movement?

Mr Okonkwo’s comments also point to a broader effort by the ADC to position itself as the main opposition vehicle ahead of 2027, particularly in Nigeria’s South-East, where Peter Obi enjoys strong support.

By insisting that the South-East has now “gone ADC”, Mr Okonkwo appeared to suggest that political alternatives outside the party risk fragmenting opposition votes — a claim likely to be contested by rival parties.

While welcoming Obi’s possible entry into the ADC, he was careful to note that the party has not yet decided whether its presidential ticket will be zoned. He also said he would support whoever emerges from the party’s primary, signalling an attempt to project unity rather than personal ambition.

“I don’t have any personal rift with any person,” he said.

The episode highlights familiar tensions in Nigerian politics following high-profile electoral defeats — between movements and parties, loyalty and structure, and personality-driven mobilisation versus long-term organisation.

Whether the ADC can successfully absorb the energy of the Obidient movement, and whether Obi’s supporters will embrace such a transition, remains one of the defining questions shaping the road to 2027.