Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman for the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that former Anambra State governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was “lured” into the party and has now found himself trapped.
Okonkwo made the claim on Thursday during an interview with Channels Television, where he also described Atiku as the leader of Nigeria’s opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, Atiku’s position as the opposition leader was demonstrated by his decision to formally challenge President Bola Tinubu to a presidential debate.
“Atiku challenged Tinubu to a debate officially because he is the leader of the opposition,” Okonkwo said.
He argued that the NDC was not legally recognised as a political party, citing a court judgment which he said described the organisation as a political association.
“NDC came into opposition on December 10 through a court order. Legally speaking, it’s a political association and not a party, according to the judgment of the court, and they are now appealing,” he said.
Okonkwo said opposition politicians had previously come together under a coalition and selected the ADC as their platform on July 2, 2026.
He noted that Obi was part of the coalition at the time before subsequently moving to the NDC.
“The opposition came together to form a coalition, and they chose the ADC on July 2, 2026, and all of us were there, including Peter Obi,” he said.
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The former Labour Party chieftain alleged that Obi’s movement to the NDC was part of a political strategy designed to take him away from the opposition coalition.
“Obi left for the NDC, where he has now entered a trap because they used the NDC to lure him away,” Okonkwo alleged.
He further claimed that opposition presidential candidates had collectively settled on Atiku as their preferred candidate for the 2027 election.
“I can tell you that all the opposition candidates have come together and chosen Atiku Abubakar,” he said.
Okonkwo’s comments come amid intensified political realignments among opposition parties and politicians ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The opposition landscape has witnessed the emergence of different coalitions and political platforms as parties and politicians seek to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and President Tinubu in the forthcoming election.