- ADC spokesperson says Obi received permission to complete Labour Party electoral process before joining as full member.
- Abdullahi explains coalition leaders extended same courtesy to ex-Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai before crossing to ADC.
The interim national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has said that Peter Obi has not formally joined the party.
Abdullahi, who spoke on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, explained that Obi remains part of the opposition coalition.
He said the former Anambra governor requested time to conclude the electoral process he began with the Labour Party.
According to him, coalition leaders agreed that Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, should complete his activities in his old party before crossing over.
“There is no problem in the ADC. The reason Peter Obi has not come into the ADC as a card-carrying member is because he asked for leave to allow him to complete the election, given that his people were involved in his Labour Party — same as Nasir el-Rufai,” Abdullahi said.
“They were allowed by the leadership to complete the election processes that they started in their respective parties before they came into the ADC.
“He is a member of the coalition. He is not a card-carrying member of the ADC yet because he was given permission by the leadership to complete the election process that he started in his legacy party.”
Obi joined the ADC-led coalition earlier in July but has repeatedly maintained that he remains a member of the Labour Party.
On July 11, Obi explained that the alliance with the ADC was part of a wider effort to build a credible political alternative ahead of 2027.
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