Some former members of the 2023 Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027
The former campaign officials, under a new political platform known as Batified Obidients, also endorsed Vice-President Kashim Shettima for a second term and pledged to mobilise former Obidient supporters and voters in opposition strongholds for Tinubu’s re-election.
The group announced its decision at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, citing what it described as leadership and organisational weaknesses in the Obi-Datti campaign, as well as its assessment of the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda.
Led by Adesina Fagbenro-Byron, former Director of Operations of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, the group said it had adopted the APC as its political platform for the 2027 general election.
Reading the group’s statement, Fabian Ozoigbo Chukwudoruo, former Head of Logistics of the Obi-Datti campaign and Deputy National Coordinator of Batified Obidients, said the decision was informed by the need to promote good governance and sustainable national development.
Fagbenro-Byron said, “Today, we have made our choice. Let there be no ambiguity. We are coming together again.
“We are former Labour Party and Obidient supporters. We are now shifting our support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and adopting the All Progressives Congress, the APC, as our political vehicle for 2027, under the name Batified Obidients.”
Explaining their decision to leave Obi, the former campaign officials cited concerns over leadership, the management of competent personnel and the handling of internal disagreements within the campaign organisation.
Fagbenro-Byron said members had voluntarily contributed their time, skills and, in some cases, personal resources to Obi’s campaign because they believed he represented a change in Nigeria’s political direction.
However, he said their subsequent reflections had convinced them that the campaign failed to make adequate use of the expertise available to it.
“After months of honest reflection on what we witnessed from inside the campaign, the truth became impossible to ignore.
“We saw real weaknesses in how talent was mis-managed, how diversity was mis-handled, and how internal conflicts went unresolved. Competent people who offered their expertise were often left unappreciated or unrecognised,” he said.
The group’s national coordinator said the shortcomings raised broader questions about Obi’s preparedness for the demands of governing Nigeria.
“Looking back with clear eyes, we have come to see that the demands of leading a country as complex and demanding as Nigeria may have been beyond what Mr Peter Obi was prepared for,” he said.
Fagbenro-Byron, however, acknowledged that the criticism did not necessarily mean Obi lacked sincere intentions.
“This is not to say he did not try, or that his intentions were not sincere. But it became clear to those of us inside the campaign that he was, in many ways, out of his depth without fully realising it,” he added.
He said the campaign had access to professionals willing to contribute their knowledge and experience.
