ADC Confirms Obi, El-Rufai to Remain in LP, SDP for Upcoming Elections

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has officially clarified that Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai will remain in their current political parties to participate in critical upcoming elections before fully aligning with the opposition coalition under the ADC banner.

This clarification was provided by Bolaji Abdullahi, the interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, during an exclusive interview with *The PUNCH* on Wednesday. His statement followed a stern warning issued by ADC interim National Chairman David Mark, who had declared zero tolerance for anti-party activities and called for strict party discipline going forward.

Putting the situation into context, both Obi and El-Rufai are playing pivotal roles in the forthcoming electoral cycle. Obi is backing Labour Party candidates in the August 2025 legislative by-elections as well as the high-stakes November gubernatorial election in his home state of Anambra. Similarly, El-Rufai is supporting his allies contesting in the by-elections in Kaduna State. Given these immediate political commitments, both leaders have been granted a concession to remain in their legacy parties—Labour Party for Obi and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for El-Rufai—until after those elections.

Abdullahi explained that asking them to defect prematurely would disrupt the electoral preparations and destabilize the political structures that their supporters have already put in place. “Obi is correct. This applies to himself and Nasir. Their supporters have obtained forms in their legacy parties. We cannot ask them to defect—it will affect the structure of those following them. They were granted a concession to remain until after the election,” he said.

Dr. Yunusa Tanko, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, also reaffirmed that Obi had consistently communicated his position since the inception of the coalition. “Even before we got into the issue of the coalition, our principal made it clear from the beginning that he is still a Labour man and that his involvement in the coalition is aimed at 2027,” Tanko stated.

Meanwhile, Obi’s media office has issued a strong disclaimer concerning two viral statements circulating online. One falsely claimed that Obi had reaffirmed allegiance to the ADC and rejected a return to the Peoples Democratic Party. Another suggested he had been offered the role of National Organising Secretary within the ADC. Obi’s media aide, Umar Ibrahim, dismissed both statements as fake, stating that they did not originate from the former governor or his authorized channels.

“Peter Obi has been unequivocal in his position in the ongoing coalition and didn’t need anyone to put words into his mouth,” Ibrahim said, urging the public to rely solely on official communication from Obi’s media office or verified platforms.

As political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, both Obi and El-Rufai remain strategically focused on securing electoral victories for their allies in the near term—before transitioning fully into the ADC-led opposition coalition.