There is palpable pressure on Mr. Peter Obi to adopt one of six political parties currently rolling over themselves as possible vehicles to birth his 2027 presidential ambition.

This is as great apprehension continues to grow among ardent supporters of Obi across parties over which political platform he would run on in 2027.

Obi is said to be under pressure to steady the ship of his ambition to give Nigerians a viable platform ahead of 2027.

The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election has maintained that he and his supporters remain members of the Labour Party while at the same time retaining their fully aligned position with the goals and aspirations of the opposition coalition platform, now domiciled in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

National Coordinator of the Obedient Movement, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, who gave a hint of the fresh nudge by the unnamed political parties, said the direction of his principal would depend on developments in the polity going forward. He allayed fears expressed by Obi’s supporters, urging them instead to sustain ongoing mobilisation north and south of the country.

“One thing is for sure; we will run elections by the grace of God. At the moment, we are examining all of our options for those who are still coming. At the moment, we are in the coalition, but we are members of the Labour Party. And we believe that the Labour Party is still there, and if at the end of it all when the coalition takes full strength, definitely one way or the other, we will know exactly how to move. I am very cautious as to how I am answering your questions, not because of anything, but because anything can happen at any time. This is politics. So, bear with us, but we are taking our time to examine the situation. But at the moment, His Excellency, Peter Obi, is a member of the Labour Party and at the same time a member of the coalition for the 2027 general elections. That is the most we can say at the moment.”

Asked whether there has been any official invitation extended to Obi following some recent critical voices in the People’s Democratic Party asking him to return to the party, Tanko said the issue is beyond the PDP, adding that about six other political parties have subtly reached out to the former Anambra State governor to run on their platforms.

“We know that, not only PDP, there are other political parties, about six of them, beckoning on His Excellency. There is no formal written invitation apart from the fact that we know that they made the particular request in a public statement, and some called privately. We are humbled by those very genuine attempts to call on His Excellency, while we urge everyone to continue to promote the candidature of His Excellency, Peter Obi.

“Every Obidient has been advised to continue the mobilisation, and those who are not Obidient, we encourage them to look at the credibility, the capacity, the consistency, and the credible accountability of His Excellency as the most preferred candidate. This we do so that all of us can come together under the same umbrella and work together because we have a very big challenge ahead of us, and we must come together as a team, democratically, and make sure that we do the right thing and vote him in as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Tanko, who referenced a recent statement by the ADC ruling out zoning in the build-up to picking a candidate for the party, said in politics, things can change suddenly, pointing out that what the Obedient are more concerned with at the moment is to intensify the ongoing nationwide mobilisation of its members.

Recall that many voices sympathetic to the aspiration of Obi have continued to urge former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to yield ground for Peter Obi to draw a template for good governance for the country, as he has repeatedly boasted.

Tanko said the Obedient Movement has completed its national, state, and LGA mobilisations and is now cascading into the wards, adding that mobilisation in Kano, his home state, is ongoing.

According to him, the Obedient Movement, though organic, is no longer the amorphous group it used to be, insisting that member-ownership will continue to drive the vision of the movement.

Whereas Obi appears focused on his trajectory, a growing number of supporters have continued to raise concern about two disturbing and contradicting challenges bothering on his supposed control of the Labour Party.