BY JULIET EKWENUGO
Kaduna
A pro-Tinubu group, the Ndigbo for Tinubu 2027 Forum (NDI-ABAT), has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint key political allies to drive his 2027 re-election campaign, amid claims that Peter Obi may be planning to exit the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement issued on Saturday and jointly signed by its National Coordinator, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and Secretary General, Dr Ugwuoke Ugwuoke, the group said the president should take proactive steps to strengthen his campaign structure ahead of the next general elections.
The forum specifically recommended the appointment of Dave Umahi, Nyesom Wike, Nuhu Ribadu and Bello Matawalle to spearhead the president’s 2027 presidential campaign.
NDI-ABAT said the move would help prevent a repeat of what it described as internal betrayals that contributed to the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general election.
The group also alleged that Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, had allegedly secured a new political platform as part of preparations for his 2027 presidential bid.
It claimed that the ADC was currently facing internal crises and legal disputes, which, it said, may have prompted Obi to consider what it described as a “Plan B.”
According to the forum, Obi is expected to resign from the ADC by the end of April and formally declare for a new party in early May, in line with the electoral timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The group further alleged that opposition leaders may rally behind Obi’s new platform if the ongoing legal battle over the ADC leadership is not resolved in their favour at the Supreme Court.
It also claimed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar may remain in the ADC to continue the legal challenge over the party’s leadership crisis.
NDI-ABAT expressed confidence that the recommended political figures, drawn from different geopolitical zones, would effectively mobilise support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and strengthen Tinubu’s chances in the 2027 election.
