Peter Obi Will Not Emerge as ADC Presidential or Vice-Presidential Candidate, Says Bwala
Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication, has said that Peter Obi will not emerge as either the presidential or vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Bwala made the remarks during an interview on The Clarity Zone Podcast, where he argued that the former Anambra State governor lacks the capacity to lead any coalition movement, even as its director-general.
He added that Obi would eventually contest the next general election on a different political platform.
According to the presidential aide, Obi has lost control of the political structure he built following the 2023 general election, including his influence within the National Assembly.
“After the election, he lost everybody he was leading. He had members in the house of representatives. How many are there in the national assembly?” Bwala asked.
“The only governor he had… is the governor with him or with us? In fact, I have not seen one that identifies with him at the moment. All the elections he has gone across Nigeria supporting candidates… all of them failed.
“The army of Trojans that he has on social media, they attack people. They say you are two-faced, that you change party. That’s what they do every day.
“But when you say their master and hero has been changing party like a player in the Premier League changes clubs every season, they don’t like it.”
Bwala also accused Obi of hypocrisy on party loyalty, alleging that the former governor has repeatedly switched political parties over the years.
“He started with PDP, then went to APGA. In APGA, he came back to PDP. From PDP, he went to Labour,” he said.
“Right now, when you hear people talk about being between the devil and the deep blue sea, he is between ADC and Labour.
“He will not be the presidential candidate, he will not be the vice-presidential candidate. Peter Obi is going to run on a platform other than Labour and other than ADC.”
The presidential aide further claimed that Obi would not secure up to a quarter of the votes he received in the 2023 presidential election.
Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last general election, polled 6,101,533 votes, finishing third behind the candidates of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Bwala said Obi’s political rise was driven by a temporary political moment rather than sustained grassroots support. He also described Obi as “an actor” in Nigeria’s political space, arguing that his popularity was based on “make-believe” rather than political reality.
