Former federal lawmaker Hon. Ifeanyi Uzokwe asserted that former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi would return to participate in the party’s primaries if former Vice President Atiku Abubakar consented to resign, escalating the internal crisis plaguing the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
According to Uzokwe, who appeared on Arise TV Prime Time programme on Tuesday, Atiku’s overwhelming influence within the party and his demand that the coalition structure revolved around him were factors in their decision to leave the ADC alliance.
He claims that Atiku publicly informed members that the ADC had essentially become his party and that the coalition was created in his home, adding that “nobody will tell him anything.”
“We left ADC because His Excellency Atiku Abubakar said that coalition was formed in his house, that ADC is his party, that nobody will tell him anything.”
He claimed that worries over the former vice president’s domination prompted several stakeholders to ask him to resign so that other candidates, like Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers State, and others, may run freely in the primaries.
“We went to him and said, can you step down and let Atiku, Rotimi Amaechi and others go into primaries,” Uzokwe said while speaking on the internal disagreements within the coalition”, he said.
He maintained that Peter Obi would be able to return and actively engage in the party’s presidential primary process if Atiku pulled out of the campaign.
“If Atiku steps down, Peter Obi will come back for the primaries,” he stated.
As political players continue to confer ahead of the 2027 general elections, Uzokwe’s remarks add a new dimension to the escalating conflict within the opposition coalition.
Peter Obi to NDC
Recall that ENigeria Newspaper reported that Peter Obi, former presidential candidate, announced his departure from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing structural issues and escalating internal crises in Nigeria’s political landscape.
Obi voiced his intense dissatisfaction with what he called a “toxic” political environment characterized by intimidation, insecurity, and ongoing internal strife in a statement posted on Sunday via his verified X (previously Twitter) account.
The former governor of Anambra State claimed that personal grudges against the Opposition coalition’s leadership had no bearing on his decision to leave the party. He explicitly cleared important party leaders of any misconduct.
“Let me state clearly: my decision to leave the ADC is not because our highly respected Chairman, Senator David Mark, treated me badly, nor because my leader and elder brother, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other respected leaders did anything personally wrong to me. I will continue to respect them”, he had said.
