Following the disclosure of a note from the Obidient Movement to Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, new rifts seem to be forming inside the coalition headed by the African Democratic Congress.
The Obidient movement expressed concern over members’ perceived exclusion from important decision-making processes in the memo.
The ADC, a coalition group aiming to depose President Bola Tinubu in 2027, was introduced on July 2, 2025.
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Among those present were, David Mark, the acting national chairman, Peter Obi, former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Although the party has granted Obi and El-Rufai permission to stay in their heritage parties for the time being, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s acting national press secretary, stated that Obi has not yet formally joined the party, barely a month after it was unveiled.
The Obidient Movement accused the coalition of marginalising its members in a July 29, 2025, paper signed by Dr. Tanko Yunusa, the group’s national coordinator, despite their crucial role in fortifying the political grouping.
“We write on behalf of the Obidient Movement to express our severe grievances regarding recent developments within the coalition’s systems,” the document that our correspondent was able to get stated.
“Our people are deliberately excluded at all levels.
While we remain committed to the shared vision of building a united and formidable front for the task ahead, we must raise the following issues that our members have repeatedly flagged.”
Tanko enumerated their complaints, pointing to their exclusion from important discussions.
He said that none of Obi’s supporters were considered deserving of a seat at the ADC’s decision-making table.
The Obidient movement also criticised what they called “non-existent representation,” arguing that the coalition’s current composition did not adequately represent its power and input.
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As a result, the movement coordinator asked Obi to get involved right away.
“The current structure does not reflect the Obidient Movement’s strength and contribution to this coalition.
“We strongly believe that there should be at least one working committee member and one non-working committee member representing the Obidient Movement in each geopolitical zone,” the memo stressed.
“We believe these measures are crucial to building trust and repositioning the coalition for success.
“We look forward to you resolving this with the party leadership in the spirit of the new Nigeria we want to build.”
The development is already generating rifts among stakeholders, with fears that the rift, if unresolved, could affect the coalition’s chances ahead of the 2027 polls.
