Kenneth Okonkwo, a spokesman for African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that Peter Obi was deliberately drawn away from the opposition coalition into the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, where he is now politically trapped.
Okonkwo made the allegation while explaining why he considers Atiku the leader of Nigeria’s opposition ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Speaking during an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, the lawyer argued that the opposition had already reached a decision on its leadership before Obi moved to the NDC.
According to Okonkwo, the opposition coalition had initially selected the ADC as its political platform on July 2, 2026, with several opposition figures, including Obi, participating in the process. He said Obi subsequently left the ADC arrangement for the NDC, which he described as a political trap.
“Obi left for the NDC, where he has now entered a trap because they used the NDC to lure him away,” Okonkwo said.
His comments come as opposition political groups continue to position themselves ahead of the 2027 presidential contest, with the question of who should emerge as the leading challenger to President Bola Tinubu becoming a major point of political argument.
Okonkwo explains Atiku’s opposition claim
Okonkwo said Atiku’s decision to challenge Tinubu to a presidential debate was based on what he described as the former vice president’s position as leader of the opposition.
“Atiku challenged Tinubu to a debate officially because he is the leader of the opposition,” he said.
The ADC spokesman linked that claim to the formation of the opposition coalition and its decision to adopt the ADC as its political vehicle.
He said the coalition came together before choosing the ADC on July 2, 2026, and maintained that those involved in the process included Obi.
“The opposition came together to form a coalition, and they chose the ADC on July 2, 2026, and all of us were there, including Peter Obi,” Okonkwo said.
His argument is that the coalition’s earlier decision remains the basis for recognising Atiku as the opposition’s leading presidential figure, despite subsequent political developments involving Obi and the NDC.
Dispute over NDC’s political status
Okonkwo also questioned the legal status of the NDC, arguing that the organisation was recognised by a court as a political association rather than a political party.
He said the NDC entered the opposition space on December 10 through a court order and that the judgment described it as a political association.
According to him, the matter is currently being appealed.
“NDC came into opposition on December 10 through a court order. Legally speaking, it’s a political association and not a party, according to the judgment of the court, and they are now appealing,” he said.
The legal argument formed part of Okonkwo’s broader explanation for why he believes the ADC remains the political platform selected by the opposition coalition and why he considers Atiku the opposition’s leader.
His remarks also placed Obi’s decision to move to the NDC at the centre of the political dispute.
‘All opposition candidates chose Atiku’
Okonkwo went further by asserting that the opposition’s presidential candidates had collectively settled on Atiku Abubakar.
“I can tell you that all the opposition candidates have come together and chosen Atiku Abubakar,” he said.
The statement represents Okonkwo’s description of the opposition’s political alignment ahead of 2027 and his justification for presenting Atiku as the principal opposition figure.
His comments also reflect the competing political narratives emerging among opposition groups as they seek to consolidate support ahead of the election.
While Okonkwo presented Obi’s departure from the ADC as the result of being “lured” into the NDC, he did not provide further details in the interview about how the alleged plan was carried out or identify those he believed were responsible for the alleged effort.
Instead, he connected Obi’s movement to the broader disagreement over the political platform that should carry the opposition into the 2027 presidential race.
The dispute therefore centres not only on individual political ambitions but also on the question of which opposition structure has the strongest claim to represent the coalition and who should be regarded as its leading presidential challenger.
For Okonkwo, the answer is Atiku, whom he said was selected after the opposition came together and adopted the ADC platform.
His position places the ADC’s coalition arrangement ahead of Obi’s subsequent move to the NDC, while his description of the NDC as a trap sharply criticises the political decision taken by the former Anambra State governor.
Opposition politics intensifies ahead of 2027
The comments underline the continuing contest within Nigeria’s opposition camp as politicians and political groups prepare for the 2027 presidential election.
Okonkwo’s argument is built around the sequence of events he described: opposition figures came together, selected the ADC as their platform on July 2, 2026, and subsequently Obi moved away from that arrangement to the NDC.
He believes that sequence leaves Atiku as the opposition’s leading figure and provides the basis for the former vice president’s challenge to Tinubu for a presidential debate.
At the same time, his characterisation of Obi’s NDC move as a trap signals the depth of disagreement over the direction of opposition politics.
Okonkwo maintained that Obi was persuaded to leave the coalition’s chosen platform and enter an organisation that, in his assessment, has left him politically constrained.
The lawyer’s comments are therefore both an attack on Obi’s political decision and an attempt to reinforce Atiku’s standing within the opposition ahead of the next presidential election.
As the 2027 contest approaches, competing opposition formations are expected to remain under intense scrutiny as political figures seek to establish who can claim the support and organisational strength needed to challenge the ruling party.
For Okonkwo, the coalition’s earlier choice of the ADC and Atiku’s position within that arrangement remain decisive.
He consequently maintains that Atiku is the leader of the opposition and that the former vice president’s call for a debate with President Tinubu should be understood from that position.
Obi’s movement to the NDC, however, has become a central point of disagreement in Okonkwo’s account, with the ADC spokesman insisting that the former governor was “lured” away and is now trapped in the political structure he chose.
Peter Obi Was Lured Into NDC and Is Now Trapped, Kenneth Okonkwo Claims
