2027: Pat Utomi praises Peter Obi for avoiding a supposed political trap.

Scholar, activist, and former presidential candidate Prof. Pat Utomi praised Peter Obi’s decision to leave the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), calling it a “smart move.”

Utomi argued that Obi, who had previously run as a Labour Party candidate, would have been “trapped” had he stayed with the ADC. He cited the experiences of other ADC presidential aspirants, such as Chibuike Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu‑deen, who complained after the primaries and rejected the results, as evidence that the party’s internal processes were flawed.

According to the DAILY POST, Obi is now officially the NDC’s presidential candidate. He received the party’s flag over the weekend and subsequently announced former Kano governor and Kwankwasiyya movement leader Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as his running mate.

Speaking on Arise News, Utomi said, “Even though we had polling that suggested he [Obi] would defeat the other candidates within ADC, but if the main players would allow a proper process… Let’s be very frank, both the way the process has been managed generally across the board makes all the primary processes a complete farce… More or less, imposing people, so they go through these processes, as you know, make believe in a democratic process.”

Amaechi, who had joined the ADC and announced his intention to run for president in 2027, lost the party’s primary to former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who is now the ADC flag‑bearer for the general election.

After the primary, Amaechi rejected the results, alleging widespread electoral malpractice and irregularities. He vowed to challenge the outcome but has remained silent since Atiku visited him at his home in Abuja.