BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi nearly walked away from the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), over alleged preferential treatment of the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi by the coalition leadership.
ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi dropped the hints during an interview with Symfoni TV on Thursday amid ongoing discussions about internal power dynamics within the opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 polls.
According to Bolaji, with concerns that the leadership was allegedly extending too much favour to the former Anambra State Governor within the alliance, Amaechi had moved to confront the coalition’s National Chairman on the issue.
He said: “There was a time that His Excellency Rotimi Amaechi went to the national chairman and was threatening to leave the coalition. He felt that the chairman was pandering to Peter Obi, that he was conceding everything to Peter Obi”.
Abdullahi, who dismissed claims that Obi had been sidelined within the coalition, said the former Anambra State governor had instead been granted considerable influence within the party structure, adding that one of his deputies was nominated by Obi, while the position of National Organising Secretary was also handed to Obi’s camp as part of efforts to fully integrate him into the coalition.
The ADC spokesman said the strategic decision to integrate Peter Obi into the coalition came at a direct political cost to former Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka. Chidoka, who had been heavily investing his efforts into building the coalition and was actively positioning himself for the key role of National Organising Secretary, saw his aspirations sidelined when that position was given to the Obi camp to solidify the new alliance.
He said: “Before Peter Obi joined the coalition, you had people like Osita Chidoka working very hard for coalition building. He was hoping to be the National Organising Secretary. But when Peter Obi came, in order to bring him in and give him a sense of belonging, that’s how we lost Osita Chidoka because we gave that position to Peter Obi to nominate.”
Further explaining that Obi was allowed to nominate other individuals into party structures as part of broader political concessions aimed at strengthening the coalition, Abdullahi defended the concessions and described politics as “a game of addition.”
“The more people we are able to lock in, and if we have to make some concessions that are not going to kill anybody, then we have to make those concessions,” he said, maintaining that Obi had no grounds to complain about marginalisation or a toxic political atmosphere within the coalition.
Strongly disagreeing with the chatter about a hostile or exclusionary atmosphere within the coalition Party, Bolaji said: “If anybody should be complaining of toxic environment or marginalisation within the party, no, no, no. I don’t think His Excellency Peter Obi, given what I know to be the truth.”
