*Presidency Reacts, Labels Obi ‘Still Bitter’ Over 2023, As Atiku Welcomes Him
*2027 Presidential Heat Now On
“For Nigeria, that moment of decisive action is now. Nigeria is not poor, we are looted into poverty.”
With these words, presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, on Wednesday, 31 December, x-rayed what he described as the albatross on the country’s development neck.
Taking the position during a meeting in Enugu, Obi also removed every doubt on the political platform upon which he hopes to realize his 2027 presidential aspiration as he publicly dumped LP and defected to the main opposition coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He did so alongside other political leaders from the South-East geopolitical zone, all of whom cited the need to “rescue Nigeria from the poor governance of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
Obi reserved hard words for the administration of President Bola Tinubu which, he said, had further impoverished and persistently agonized Nigerians.
Furthermore, he said the ADC had arrived to salvage Nigerians from “a criminal enterprise” even as he did not name who the alleged drivers of the purported enterprise were.
Reacting, the Presidency lambasted the former Anambta State governor, describing him as a failed governor who was still bitter over the 2023 presidential election in which the electoral umpire announced Tinubu as winner.
Obi and the leaders stressed that the decision to join the ADC was part of a wider consensus to align with other opposition leaders across the country in a concerted push to remove the ruling APC, fingering it for mismanaging the nation.
“As the year 2025 ends today, we stand on the threshold of a new year, which we hope will mark the beginning of Nigeria’s long-awaited socio-economic transformation.
“For Nigeria, that moment of decisive action is now. Nigeria is not poor, we are looted into poverty,” he said.
He described Nigeria as “a nation in grave distress,” made sick by insecurity, unemployment, poverty and institutional decay.
Obi said: “With over 130 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty and more than 80 million youths unemployed, our people are in persistent agony.
“Nigeria is not collapsing under the weight of its people; Nigeria is suffocating under the weight of impunity and greed of her leadership.”
Harping on what he described as leadership failure, Obi, amid rapturous applause from supporters, said: ”As a nation, we are not poor; we are looted into poverty. As a nation, we are not broken; we are severely betrayed.
“We most strongly demand urgent reforms of the entire electoral process. At the heart of our coming national transformation is electoral integrity.
“We can no longer toy with elections, especially when we see the tragedies of truncated democracies across West Africa.”
Attempts To Rig’ll Be Resisted, He Warned
Obi warned that attempts to rig or manipulate the 2027 elections would be resisted.
“The will of the Nigerian people is sacrosanct and non-negotiable. Those plotting to subvert it in 2027 should rethink their actions. Nigerians have endured enough.”
Alluding to how Nigeria can be made to work for the people, he cited Rwanda, Indonesia and several Asian economies as examples of what unity and competent leadership can achieve.
His words: “In 1995, Rwanda’s GDP per capita was about $200. Today, it is over $1,000. Nigeria’s GDP per capita in 1995 was $1,225, but has declined to below $1,000 after 30 years. This is a tragedy for a country called the ‘Giant of Africa’.
“Our problem is not ignorance. Nations like Nigeria know what to do to prosper but refuse to do so. The problem is leadership and lack of unity.”
Tabling the ongoing controversies surrounding tax reforms, Obi said: “It is bad fiscal policy for government to make the people poorer and still tax them more.
“Taxing poverty will not create wealth; it will create more poverty.”
‘ Tinubu Not Invincible At Polls’
On talk in some quarters that the Tinubu administration is politically invincible, Obi dismissed it, pointing out: “They have built a house of cards with lies and errors. Democracy offers us the opportunity to reject them at the polls. Our job in 2027 is to vote them out and keep vigil until they are out.”
Urging Nigerians not to succumb to despair, he said: “This is not the time for silence or ethnic chauvinism. It is time to unite to dismantle the criminal enterprise destroying Nigeria.
“Together, let us move forward with courage, unity and resolve. A new, united, productive and inclusive Nigeria is possible.”
Presidency’s Scathing Response
Reacting to these, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, gave a dressing down to Obi.
In a statement, same Wednesday, Onanuga picked on what he described as Obi’s festering resentment over the 2023 election, saying: “At his event, Obi’s bitterness was evident. What concerned me most were his references to books, professors, and other nations to buttress his belief that he has learnt from the masters and that Nigeria should be entrusted to him because he claims to know the secrets of national development.
“This posturing should be taken with a pinch of salt, coming from a politician who was an abysmal failure in a small state like Anambra, which he governed for 8 years.
“Because Obi sorely lacks the leadership pedigree, beyond being a successful importer, only the madman he consults in Onitsha would be comfortable handing over Nigeria to him.”
On Obi’s allusion to foreign examples for national development, the spokesman said: “However, Obi’s reasoning is flawed. Nations are not identical, and what worked in Indonesia or the USA may not necessarily work in Nigeria. No leader can move a country forward by simply copying and pasting models from elsewhere. Nations require original thinkers, not copycats. Homegrown solutions are essential for proper development.”
He contrasted Obi’s statements with the Tinubu administration’s policies, noting steps taken in the past three years.
Onanuga said: “This is precisely what President Bola Tinubu has been doing since May 29, 2023—a fact that Obi is too consumed by animosity and his small-mindedness to acknowledge: In less than three years, the Tinubu administration has restructured the economy, eliminated wasteful petrol subsidies, and reduced its dependence on the oil sector. The administration is focusing on gas development and has attracted both foreign and local investment to the industry.
“Foreign reserves have risen, and the exchange rate has stabilised. Inflation is decelerating. The administration has also embarked on ambitious road projects, such as the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry superhighways, which Obi and his associates consider impossible.
“With tax reforms beginning in January, the Tinubu administration is set to harmonise the historically fragmented tax regime, increase the tax-to-GDP ratio, enhance revenue, and boost prosperity.
“For the past two years and seven months, Tinubu has demonstrated effective leadership anchored in strategic policies and reforms.
“Obi is so blind that he cannot see all these achievements, as he jumped from Labour to ADC, where he will play second fiddle and end up being Atiku’s running mate in 2027, like we witnessed in 2019.”
Atiku Welcomes Obi, ‘We’ll Work Together’
On his part, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar welcomed Obi’s official defection.
Atiku said he is ready to work closely with Obi to build a strong and united opposition, applauding Obi’s decision as an important development in Nigeria’s politics.
In a post on X, Atiku clapped for Obi, saying his joining the ADC is a major step for political cooperation in the country.
Atiku’s post: “Today marks a significant moment in the history of political coalitions in our country, with the official declaration of my brother and associate, @PeterObi, into the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“It is my pleasure to welcome him officially, as we look forward to a robust working relationship that will foster a virile opposition, one that will ultimately form a government capable of bringing prosperity and peace to our people.
“And as the @ADCNig Coalition train leaves Enugu, the capital of the Southeast region, I hope this inspires other patriots to join the cause with the train headed in their direction.”
*PHOTO CAPTION: Tinubu (left), Obi (middle), Atiku (right).
