A coalition of young political figures under the banner of the South-South Emerging Leaders’ Forum (SELF) has issued a strong warning to former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, over alleged attempts to pressure the African Democratic Congress (ADC) into handing him its 2027 presidential ticket.
In a statement released Thursday in Abuja and signed by the group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Benjamin Kolowei, the forum accused Obi of employing blackmail and threats to coerce the coalition into zoning the presidential ticket to the South.
The forum recalled that Obi had previously exited the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of its 2022 presidential primary when it became clear he would not secure the nomination.
Kolowei stated, “Why is Peter Obi afraid of an open and transparent primary election?”
He added, “We note that Mr. Peter Obi and his Obidient Movement, in recent times, have resorted to threatening and blackmailing the leadership of the coalition. We make bold to tell the former Anambra governor that such a strategy will not work; in fact, it has failed woefully.”
The forum further alleged that Obi has a consistent pattern of evading democratic party primaries and seeking uncontested nominations.
“Record has shown that Mr. Obi has a history of running away from primary elections, which is the major aspect of democratic culture. If Mr. Obi claims to be a democrat, why is he always avoiding primary elections? Why is he looking for a free presidential ticket? He did that as a governor and, as recently as 2022, Mr. Obi abandoned PDP when it was time for the primary election,” the group stated.
SELF emphasized that it would not sit idly by while Obi allegedly seeks to undermine efforts aimed at building a united opposition coalition capable of challenging the ruling party.
“As a forum of professionals and emerging leaders, we will not fold our hands and tolerate Peter Obi to frustrate the ongoing arrangement to rescue our nation and have a credible alternative to the APC,” the group asserted.
They also criticized what they described as Obi’s “pretentious lifestyle” and alleged political opportunism.
“We hereby call on Mr. Peter Obi to stop his pretentious lifestyle as if he is a saint or the only messiah Nigeria is waiting for. If Mr. Obi wants to participate in a democratic contest, he should respect the rules of the game. Though he has never fought or contributed to the development of the democratic process in Nigeria, so he does not know what it takes,” the forum said.
The statement concluded with a warning to the leadership of the ADC coalition, claiming that Obi may have already secured an alternative political platform for his 2027 bid.
“If Obi is looking for where he will be given a free presidential ticket, the door is open. Although we have gathered reliably that Mr. Obi has secured another platform which he will soon unveil to contest in 2027, it is high time the leaders of the ADC coalition opened their two eyes. We are making it public that Peter Obi is not ready to cooperate and work with coalition leader
s,” the statement concluded.
