Pat Utomi, Obidients disagree on next steps if Atiku defeats Obi for ADC ticket

Signs of division have emerged within the political camp of former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, as leading voices among his supporters disagree on what course to take should former Vice President Atiku Abubakar defeat him in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary ahead of the 2027 election.

While the Obidient Movement has pledged to remain in the ADC irrespective of the outcome of the primary, renowned political economist and long-time Obi ally, Prof. Pat Utomi, has drawn a red line, warning that he would withdraw his support if Obi accepts a vice-presidential slot.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Tanko Yunusa, said the group was firmly committed to internal democracy and would respect the outcome of a credible primary within the ADC.

“As democrats, we will go in there and contest equitably well with every contestant based on democratic tenets,” Yunusa said. “We believe that at the end of it all, Mr Peter Obi will come out on top with the large teeming population that he is bringing into the ADC.”

When asked what the movement would do if Atiku emerged as the party’s flagbearer, Yunusa said the Obidients would stay put.

“We will remain in the party and give the party the lease of life it demands democratically,” he said.

Yunusa credited Obi’s entry into the ADC with boosting the party’s national profile, describing it as the spark that ignited widespread interest across the country.

“With all due respect to the ADC, it got its traction when people came around and agreed. The vehicle of ADC kick-started yesterday with one ignition kick, and that is the excitement that His Excellency Mr Peter Obi has brought to it,” he said.

He added that the Obidient Movement, largely driven by young Nigerians seeking good governance, is prepared to mobilise millions of supporters into the party.

“They have made that position known very clearly, and they are going to move in their millions into the ADC. That is an affirmation,” Yunusa stated.

However, Utomi offered a contrasting view later on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, insisting that Obi must contest only for the presidency and not as a running mate.

“I can tell you that Peter Obi will contest for the presidency,” Utomi said. “The day he becomes somebody’s vice president, I walk away from his corner. I can tell you that for a fact.”

Utomi was responding to claims by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), that Obi had already agreed to serve as Atiku Abubakar’s vice-presidential candidate on the ADC platform in 2027.

Beyond the immediate political debate, Utomi also used the platform to criticise Nigeria’s leadership structure, arguing that the presidency has increasingly become a “retirement home.”

“Something important about this election to bear in mind is that the Nigerian presidency has become a retirement home where people go for the Nigerian state to pay their medical bills,” he said.

He criticised both former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and the current government of President Bola Tinubu, describing them as “government in absentia,” and called for a constitutional or political consensus to bar Nigerians above the age of 70 from contesting executive offices.