Ndigbo for Tinubu 2027 Forum (NDI-ABAT) Press Release – Date: 29th March 2026

The NDIGBO for Tinubu 2027 Forum (NDI-ABAT) categorically dismisses the baseless claims and unfounded allegations put forth by former Anambra Governor Mr. Peter Obi against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In a radio interview at Magic FM Aba on Saturday, 28th March 2026, Mr. Obi alleged that the Federal Government was working strenuously to prevent him from becoming a presidential candidate of any opposition political party in the 2027 presidential elections.

NDI-ABAT views Mr. Obi’s claims as nothing more than delusions and misleading statements. It is indeed difficult to overlook these spurious assertions, which are clearly diversionary tactics. Mr. Obi seems to be strategically preparing the public’s minds for his possible defection from his current political party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to another opposition party.

Let us convey the unvarnished truth to our brother, Mr. Peter Obi. The real obstacle preventing him from obtaining the ADC presidential ticket is not President Tinubu, but rather former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. Mr. Obi is unsure of getting the ADC presidential ticket because he fears that Atiku Abubakar may not step down for him during the forthcoming 2026 ADC presidential primaries. Hence, he is using these unsubstantiated propaganda claims against President Tinubu as an excuse and an exit strategy from the ADC.

Credible intelligence available to NDI-ABAT indicates that Mr. Peter Obi is well aware of the strict guidelines of the new 2026 electoral laws. With the limited time remaining for the opposition coalition leadership, he has allegedly secured a new political party where he intends to run in the 2027 presidential election.

It is a verifiable fact that Mr. Peter Obi has never contested or won any political party primaries in his political career. In Anambra State, where he served as governor for eight years, he was undemocratically handpicked as the APGA Anambra gubernatorial candidate in 2003 and 2008 by the legendary Igbo icon, Dim Odumegwu Chukwuemeka Ojukwu. In 2023, the Labour Party adopted him as its presidential candidate without conducting any presidential primaries. His claims about President Tinubu working to prevent him from being a presidential candidate in 2027 are thus clearly an exit strategy from the ADC.

NDI-ABAT also rejects Mr. Obi’s claim that he is the most credible presidential candidate. While he is entitled to his personal opinions, his record as the former governor of Anambra State pales in comparison to the superlative and transformative achievements of former Southeast governors, Senator Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and Senator Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State. Both of these former governors are currently supporting President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, and they have the backing of all five Southeast governors. Mr. Obi may not be better Igbo presidential material than Umahi and Nnamani, especially considering that when it is the turn of the Southeast to produce the first executive Nigerian president of Igbo descent in 2035, these other leaders may be more suitable.

Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro
National Coordinator
NDI-ABAT

Dr. Ugwuoke Ugwuoke Jr
Secretary General
NDI-ABAT