ADC to Obi: Make Up Your Mind Now

*Atiku visits Jonathan at Abuja home

Chuks Okocha in AbujaThe African Democratic Congress (ADC), has asked the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, to make up his mind about joining the party.The party said although Obi was an important political leader needed in its coalition, it would not compel him to join its fold.The party said the former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Kaduna State, Nasiru el Rufai, who made similar position to declare for ADC after off-seasons election, had done the needful.This is coming on the heels of Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s visit to former President Goodluck Jonathan at his residence in Abuja on Saturday.

The meeting between Atiku and the former President was believed to be part of consultations ahead of the 2027 election.Posting on his verified Facebook page, Atiku wrote: “It was a pleasure catching up with former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday evening, following his recent return from Guinea-Bissau.”

The spokesman of ADC, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, who didn’t want to force Obi to hasten his position since almost all off-seasons elections were over, said the priority of the party was to convince Nigerians that it was a credible alternative.“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.“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. Because 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,” he said.

The ADC spokesperson said the party wanted Obi and encouraged him to be part of the coalition.Abdullahi explained that, “For us, we want Peter Obi to join us in building a political party that can reset Nigerian politics and provide a credible alternative to Nigerians. When we get to that point of deciding what he considers to be his priority, then we will take that decision.

“But if that is the condition on which he is going to continue to be part of the coalition or make up his mind about the coalition, he should probably wait until we get to that point and make that decision.“But we will encourage him to make up his mind to join the party now. For us, we have other priorities, which include developing our party. We are making progress in that regard.”

He decried the use of the word “unstable” to describe the coalition, saying the ADC was stable and spreading across the country.“It’s unfortunate that he (Obi) used a word like unstable, because instability is not contingent on whether we are able to make certain decisions on zoning at this point or not. We are stable. Within five months, we have offices in 27 or 28 states as of last count without a single political officeholder. That’s a major achievement.

“We would like to see Peter Obi go to Anambra and support efforts to build the party like other leaders have done in their respective states. The party will continue to encourage him. We want him to be part of our journey. We want him to be part of building the party.”

However, Obi’s former campaign spokesman and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, urged the ADC to give the former Anambra governor more time to consult.