RismadarVoice Reporters
January 8, 2026
The Obidient Movement has insisted that the 2027 presidency should remain in the South, declaring that former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is best positioned to complete what it described as the region’s “remaining term.”
The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, stated this in an interview amid intensifying political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election.
Tanko’s remarks came on the same day Obi’s running mate in the 2023 election, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidency at a rally held at the Labour Party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday.
Baba-Ahmed’s declaration followed Obi’s recent exit from the Labour Party for the African Democratic Congress, a move that has sparked intense debate about the future of the Labour Party and the broader opposition coalition.
Tanko said the Obidient Movement was tired of suggestions that Obi should step aside or defer his ambition, stressing that its position was anchored on equity and democratic principles.
“We are democrats. We believe it is the turn of the South and Obi will complete the remaining term of the South. That is our position,” he said.
Tanko’s comments come as opposition politics enters a tense phase, with several heavyweight politicians openly jostling for the ADC presidential ticket, raising questions about zoning, consensus and internal cohesion within the emerging opposition bloc.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election and now an ADC aspirant, had on Tuesday declared that he would not withdraw from the 2027 race.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku dismissed calls for him to step down as dangerous to Nigeria’s democracy.
Meanwhile, at his declaration rally on Wednesday, Baba-Ahmed, flanked by the embattled Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, said his presidential ambition was neither reactionary nor dependent on Obi’s political decisions.
He stressed that his aspiration predated the 2023 election.
“I have made myself to contest for the office in 2027. I’m not following anybody’s trajectory or stepping into anybody’s shoes,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He recalled that he had aspired to the presidency before Obi entered the 2023 race and had previously contested in the Peoples Democratic Party primaries.
“In October 2018, I participated in the PDP primaries in Port Harcourt. I even walked to Obi for his vote, and he smiled at me. What a gentleman he was,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed explained that he accepted the vice-presidential slot in 2023 because he believed it presented a rare opportunity for national unity.
“I saw a rare opportunity for national unity to elect Peter Obi in 2023, and that is why I decided to flow with it,” he added.
Addressing concerns about religion and ethnicity, Baba-Ahmed, a northern Muslim, said the Nigerian constitution guarantees every qualified citizen the right to contest elective office.
“Yes, I am a practising Muslim. Yes, I am a Hausa man. But I am a Nigerian, and the constitution allows me to contest. I’m doing this because Nigeria needs help,” he said.
However, he noted that he would strictly adhere to party and electoral guidelines.
“As a law-abiding citizen and loyal party member, until INEC releases its timetable and the Labour Party calls for interested aspirants, I will not say anything further,” he stated.
Reacting, Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, commended Baba-Ahmed for remaining in the party, despite Obi’s exit, describing it as evidence that the party remained united.
Abure said several key figures, including Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, had also chosen to stay.
“Alex Otti has made it clear that he joined the party before Peter Obi and that he is not defecting,” Abure said.
He disclosed that Baba-Ahmed personally suggested convening party leaders and members to reaffirm unity within the party.
“The Labour Party is intact. We will not let Nigerians down. We will remain together, provide a genuine alternative for Nigerians,” Abure added.
Baba-Ahmed’s declaration has added a new dimension to the evolving 2027 presidential contest, as political parties begin early positioning, amid shifting alliances within the opposition.
