Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, has said there were clear indications that former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi would not emerge as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Umeh made the claim during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time with Charles Aniagolu, where he reflected on the internal dynamics of the coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to him, the structure and composition of the coalition made it difficult for any single individual to dominate or emerge as consensus candidate.
“No, the signs were there. I was also in the party. So you don’t need to tell somebody who is wise enough to know when the odds are piling against him,” he said.
He explained that the ADC coalition was formed as a broad alliance of politicians from different backgrounds without a clearly defined leadership hierarchy.
“No, it was an amalgamation of all comers. People came from all backgrounds, all politicians were there. You cannot identify ADC with any exceptional leadership skill of anybody. Everybody who was wearing agbada and known politicians who have played it big in Nigeria, everybody came to the same place. And you cannot hold anybody really accountable. And we hoped that as the coalition progressed, we’d be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Things would fall in place, and the coalition would be able to discover in its midst someone they can actually present to Nigerians to be able to win an election.”
Umeh also dismissed suggestions that Obi was seeking an easier route to a presidential ticket, describing him as a politician guided by principle rather than transactional interests.
“Mr. Peter Obi, when you interview him, he’ll tell you he will never take part in transactional politics. That is a mark of integrity and principle.”
“He’s known to be like that. Somebody who has very great fiscal discipline. Peter doesn’t waste money. So if he’s operating in a system where everything is monetized, and he sees it’s going in a wrong direction. He can excuse himself. So that’s what he has done repeatedly,” he added.
The senator also confirmed that he has aligned with Obi in joining the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), following recent political realignments within the opposition.
The development comes amid ongoing reshuffling within opposition ranks ahead of the 2027 general elections.
