Senator representing Anambra Central in the National Assembly, Victor Umeh, has claimed that signs of imbalance visible within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition led to the exit of former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, from the party.
NewsWatch Nigeria recalls that Peter Obi, alongside the former Governor of Kano State, recently dumped the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
In an interview on ARISE Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme on Monday, Umeh asserted that there were signs Peter Obi would not emerge as the presidential candidate of the ADC.
Asked if it was made clear to Peter Obi that he would not be the presidential candidate of the party, Umeh said, “No, the signs were there. I was also in the party. So you don’t need to tell somebody who is wise enough to know when the odds are piling against him.”
Umeh also stated that the ADC coalition brought together politicians from diverse backgrounds without a clearly defined leadership structure, stressing that the alliance was expected to refine itself over time and produce a credible, unified candidate for elections.
He stressed, “No, it was an amalgamation of all comers. People came from all backgrounds, all politicians were there. You cannot identify ADC with any exceptional leadership skill of anybody. Everybody who was wearing agbada and known politicians who have played it big in Nigeria, everybody came to the same place. And you cannot hold anybody really accountable. And we hoped that as the coalition progressed, we’d be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Things would fall in place, and the coalition would be able to discover in its midst someone they can actually present to Nigerians to be able to win an election.”
Speaking on the claims that Peter Obi is seeking easier access to a presidential ticket, Umeh described the former Governor of Anambra State as a principled figure who avoids transactional politics and refuses to engage in money-driven party processes.
He added, “Mr. Peter Obi, when you interview him, he’ll tell you he will never take part in transactional politics. That is a mark of integrity and principle.
“He’s known to be like that. Somebody who has very great fiscal discipline. Peter doesn’t waste money. So if he’s operating in a system where everything is monetized, and he sees it’s going in a wrong direction. He can excuse himself. So that’s what he has done repeatedly.”
