2023 Obi-Datti Campaign leaders dump Obi, back Tinubu

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — Some former members of the 2023 Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027.

The former campaign officials, under a new political platform known as Batified Obidients, also endorsed Vice-President Kashim Shettima for a second term and pledged to mobilise former Obidient supporters and voters in opposition strongholds for Tinubu’s re-election.

The group announced its decision at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, citing what it described as leadership and organisational weaknesses in the Obi-Datti campaign, as well as its assessment of the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda.

Led by Adesina Fagbenro-Byron, former Director of Operations of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, the group said it had adopted the APC as its political platform for the 2027 general election.

Reading the group’s statement, Fabian Ozoigbo Chukwudoruo, former Head of Logistics of the Obi-Datti campaign and Deputy National Coordinator of Batified Obidients, said the decision was informed by the need to promote good governance and sustainable national development.

Fagbenro-Byron said, “Today, we have made our choice. Let there be no ambiguity. We are coming together again.

“We are former Labour Party and Obidient supporters. We are now shifting our support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and adopting the All Progressives Congress, the APC, as our political vehicle for 2027, under the name Batified Obidients.”

Why we left Obi — Defectors

Explaining their decision to leave Obi, the former campaign officials cited concerns over leadership, the management of competent personnel and the handling of internal disagreements within the campaign organisation.

Fagbenro-Byron said members had voluntarily contributed their time, skills and, in some cases, personal resources to Obi’s campaign because they believed he represented a change in Nigeria’s political direction.

However, he said their subsequent reflections had convinced them that the campaign failed to make adequate use of the expertise available to it.

“After months of honest reflection on what we witnessed from inside the campaign, the truth became impossible to ignore.

“We saw real weaknesses in how talent was mis-managed, how diversity was mis-handled, and how internal conflicts went unresolved. Competent people who offered their expertise were often left unappreciated or unrecognised,” he said.

The group’s national coordinator said the shortcomings raised broader questions about Obi’s preparedness for the demands of governing Nigeria.

“Looking back with clear eyes, we have come to see that the demands of leading a country as complex and demanding as Nigeria may have been beyond what Mr Peter Obi was prepared for,” he said.

Fagbenro-Byron, however, acknowledged that the criticism did not necessarily mean Obi lacked sincere intentions.

“This is not to say he did not try, or that his intentions were not sincere. But it became clear to those of us inside the campaign that he was, in many ways, out of his depth without fully realising it,” he added.

He said the campaign had access to professionals willing to contribute their knowledge and experience, but their potential was not adequately utilised.

The group clarified that its position reflected the experiences and conclusions of its members and did not represent all Nigerians who supported Obi in 2023.

It also acknowledged that some former supporters had moved to other political parties, including the African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, while others remained in the Labour Party.

Tinubu’s reforms influenced our decision

On why they chose to support Tinubu, the defectors cited their assessment of the administration’s policies and reforms over the past three years.

While acknowledging the economic difficulties facing Nigerians, including hunger, rising living costs, insecurity and persistent gaps in healthcare and education, the group argued that the administration had initiated reforms capable of addressing longstanding structural problems.

“The reforms have been difficult. They have been painful for many households. Hunger is real. The cost of living has bitten hard. Families are struggling to put food on the table,” Fagbenro-Byron said.

He listed the removal of the petrol subsidy, increased allocations to state and local governments, student loan initiatives, local fertiliser production and reforms allowing greater state participation in the electricity market among the policies that influenced the group’s decision.

The group also cited the Supreme Court’s affirmation of local government financial autonomy, saying it could strengthen grassroots development.

“These are not finished victories. They are the foundations of a country that can produce more of what it needs instead of living forever on imports and artificial prices,” Fagbenro-Byron said.

Batified Obidients also expressed support for the administration’s infrastructure programme, particularly projects associated with the Minister of Works, David Umahi; the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo; and the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake.

The group said it wanted to see the projects completed and their anticipated benefits fully realised.

Group plans grassroots mobilisation

Beyond endorsing Tinubu and Shettima, the group said it would mobilise former campaign associates, undecided voters and other Nigerians to support the APC ahead of the 2027 general election.

It said its activities would include membership registration, grassroots mobilisation, political organisation, rallies and campaigns, with particular attention to states where opposition candidates defeated Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

Fagbenro-Byron said the group would seek to expand the president’s support base ahead of the next election.

“We will mobilise our former colleagues, undecided voters, and other Nigerians who desire competent and inclusive governance.

“We will work to grow the support President Tinubu received in 2023, with special attention to states where his opposition won,” he said.

Explaining the group’s choice of name, he said its members remained committed to the demand for good governance that had driven the Obidient movement but now believed the APC offered the political platform through which to pursue that objective.

“We do not deny our history. But we remain Obidient to the hunger for good governance. We are Batified in our recognition of competence, courage, and the direction needed to rebuild Nigeria. Our loyalty is to Nigeria first,” he said.

He added that the group was not seeking to diminish other political parties but to build a broad coalition around the APC.

“For us, the choice is clear: APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027,” he said.

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