Former Governor of Enugu State and ex-National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, has called on the African Democratic Congress to adopt former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, as its flagbearer for the 2027 general election, describing him as the aspirant with the highest goodwill and trust among Nigerians.
Speaking with Vanguard at his residence in Enugu on Tuesday, Nwodo insisted that no other candidate across party lines commands comparable nationwide acceptance ahead of the next presidential election, citing Obi’s performance in the 2023 polls as evidence of his broad appeal despite contesting without the backing of established political heavyweights.
“In the last election, Peter Obi went to the Labour Party without any sitting or former governor, senator, or House of Representatives member. He had no politicians of weight, not even House of Assembly members, yet he recorded the highest votes in many places. He was placed third to make it difficult for him to recover his footing,” Nwodo said.
The former PDP chairman noted that the political landscape has since shifted in Obi’s favour, with several influential politicians now aligning with the former Anambra State governor, signalling a significant strengthening of his political base ahead of the 2027 contest.
“Today, Obi has former governors, sitting and former senators, and about 18 members of the House of Representatives who were present at his declaration for ADC. It is no longer a one-man effort. He is moving into ADC with a formidable team, and we can expect a repeat of the 2023 tsunami in 2027,” he added.
Nwodo recalled that the Obi wave during the last election cycle overwhelmed sitting governors in states including Enugu, Imo, and Benue, preventing some from securing senatorial seats despite their incumbency advantages. He argued that electoral success is determined less by the number of sitting governors a party controls and more by the mood of the electorate, particularly in times of widespread economic hardship.
“What matters is where the hearts of Nigerians lie. Are Nigerians happy with the ruling APC government, or are they in pain and poverty? Hunger, insecurity, unemployment, inflation, and the number of out-of-school children are rising at alarming rates. Nigerians are dying daily due to insecurity, hunger, and lack of basic healthcare,” he said.
The elder statesman maintained that Obi remains ADC’s strongest contender for the presidency and called for the continuation of power within the southern region, citing what he described as the failure of the current administration to address Nigeria’s mounting socio-economic challenges.
Nwodo further framed Obi’s candidacy within Nigeria’s broader national reconciliation discourse, arguing that the former governor’s election would complete a long-overdue process of healing from the wounds of the civil war that ended in 1970.
“If you look at the tripod of Nigeria — Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo — it is only the Igbo that have not occupied the presidency. Many believe that until an Igbo man becomes president, the wounds of the civil war will not fully heal. Peter Obi’s presidency would mark the completion of that reconciliation,” he said.
The former governor’s comments touch on one of Nigeria’s most sensitive political questions: the perceived marginalisation of the Igbo ethnic group in the country’s power-sharing arrangements since the end of the Biafran War. While Nigeria has operated various zoning arrangements to ensure regional balance in the distribution of political offices, no person of Igbo extraction has occupied the presidency since independence in 1960, a fact that has fuelled ongoing debates about equity and inclusion in Nigeria’s federal arrangement.
According to Nwodo, an Obi presidency would address the long-standing sense of marginalisation among the Igbo people and reaffirm their place as equal stakeholders in the Nigerian project, while simultaneously providing the leadership needed to tackle the country’s developmental challenges.
The call for ADC to adopt Obi as its flagbearer comes amid ongoing realignments within Nigeria’s opposition landscape, as parties and political figures position themselves ahead of the 2027 general election. Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election, where he secured significant support particularly among younger voters and urban populations, established him as a formidable force in Nigerian politics despite finishing third in the official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The former Anambra governor’s candidacy galvanised what became known as the “Obidient Movement,” a grassroots political mobilisation that leveraged social media and unconventional campaign strategies to challenge Nigeria’s traditional political establishment. His campaign resonated particularly strongly in the South-East and South-South regions, as well as in urban centres across the country where frustration with economic hardship and poor governance was most acute.
Nwodo’s endorsement carries significant weight within Nigeria’s political circles, given his long career in public service and his previous role as National Chairman of the PDP, one of Nigeria’s major political parties. His decision to publicly back Obi’s presidential ambitions under the ADC platform represents a notable development in the ongoing efforts to build a credible opposition coalition capable of mounting a serious challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.
He concluded by stating that Obi has consistently demonstrated the capacity and ideas needed to tackle Nigeria’s developmental challenges and should be given the opportunity to do so, pointing to his track record as governor of Anambra State and his articulation of economic reform proposals during the 2023 campaign.
