Is Defection Required for Peter Obi, El-Rufai to Secure 2027 Presidential Ticket? ADC Gives Fresh Update

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has given a fresh update on if Peter Obi and Nasir El-Rufai are required to defect from their current political parties to participate in the 2027 presidential election under the opposition coalition.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has clarified that Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, will not be required to defect from their current political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, confirmed this in an exclusive phone interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday.

His statement follows a stern warning from the party’s interim National Chairman, David Mark, who on Tuesday declared that “there will be zero tolerance for anti-party and any form of indiscipline; you are either in ADC or not in ADC. No mid-way in this business, and those not with us, we will not carry them along.”

Mark emphasized that the party’s grassroots leadership would be overhauled to reflect modern realities and that “those who are not totally committed will not be carried along.”

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Amid speculations, the ADC – now positioned as the flagship platform of the opposition coalition—is believed to be in talks with Obi and other influential politicians, although the former Anambra governor has repeatedly maintained his loyalty to the Labour Party.

Confirming this, Abdullahi said, “Absolutely! Obi is correct. This applies to himself and Nasir (El-Rufai). This is because their supporters and allies have obtained forms to contest the election in their legacy parties. So we cannot ask them to defect. It will affect the structures of those following them. They were therefore granted a concession to remain in their parties until after the election.”

Meanwhile, Obi has distanced himself from viral statements circulating online, one of which allegedly claimed he had rejected a return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and another suggesting he had been offered the position of National Organising Secretary in ADC.

His media aide, Umar Ibrahim, clarified, “Peter Obi has been unequivocal in his position in the ongoing coalition and didn’t need anyone to put words into his mouth.”

Obi, who has remained a central figure in Nigeria’s opposition politics, continues to focus on his mission to build “a new Nigeria of our dreams,” while the ADC consolidates its coalition ahead of the 2027 polls.