As the 2027 elections draw nearer and politicians use the weapons in their arsenal to clinch the keenly contested seat in Aso Rock, chieftains of political parties have begun to analyse the series of events currently shaping Nigeria’s political scene.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has become the subject of scrutiny in recent times, with analysts and political stakeholders weighing in on the quality of his candidacy and his position as a strong opponent to President Bola Tinubu, whom he contested against in the 2023 election.
One of the stakeholders who recently weighed in on the quality of Obi’s candidacy, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, noted that the former Labour Party presidential candidate’s inability to tame the bigotry of his supporters has prompted many people to push back.
Sowunmi aired his position in response to a question from the host of Politics Today on Channels Television, Seun Okinbaloye, about the quality of Obi’s candidacy against Tinubu in the upcoming presidential elections.
“The people sitting in authority at the governor’s level in the Southeast were not that inspirational. You have to go back and look at the people sitting there now. Some of them are delivering on values and assignments. If they are inspirational leaders, none of them can Obi run over just like that. It’s not as easy as that.
“Unfortunately, his inability to tame the excessive bigotry and the anger and the quarrel made a lot of people to push back,” said Sowunmi.
In the period leading up to the 2023 election, and during and after it, supporters of Peter Obi under the umbrella of the Obidient Movement engaged in brawls with supporters of Tinubu, the ruling All Progressives Congress’s presidential candidate at the time, on social media platforms, including X.
Both parties, separated by their preferred candidate for the election, accused each other of bigotry, cyberbullying and adopting unpalatable measures to show support for their candidate. This has continued for years and is intensifying ahead of the upcoming 2027 election.
While speaking about the strength of the People’s Democratic Party, Nigeria’s former ruling party, Sowunmi expressed confidence in the party, adding that the PDP has a groundswell which cannot be ruled out.
“PDP has a groundswell and cannot be ruled out in the 2027 elections. You just have to wait until they blow the whistle. Let PDP get out of court. Let one party of it be stable and watch and see what it means to have a 27-year asset in politics.
“Then you will know that the reason for its slogan ‘power’. I’m not saying they are going to win but I guarantee that you can never rule them out,” he added.
The opposition party, PDP, is currently embroiled in a deep internal leadership crisis, with rival factions vying for control of the party structure ahead of the 2027 general elections, leading to legal battles and paralysis in key decision-making processes.
As a result of prolonged infighting and a perceived lack of internal democracy, several governors, senators, and other prominent members have defected to other parties, weakening the PDP’s cohesion and electoral strength.
The Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, however, shares a contrasting view with Sowunmi’s position. While speaking to Arise News on Monday, Fayose described Obi, who defected from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), described Obi as the “Life of ADC”.
In 2025, Obi, alongside former Vice President and PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi, defected to the ADC to form a coalition with the aim of unseating Tinubu in 2027.
“Are we saying ADC is not dominant? Recently, Obi moved there. And I’ve said it. Obi is the only life in ADC,” he said.
“Let Obi not go to ADC. Let Obi go to another party. Let’s say Obi is in Accord. Obi is the only traction. Obi is the only meaning, Obi is the only factor, Obi is the only person in ADC that matters.”
