2027 poll: May 10 “last busstop” for Obi, Kwankwaso, other “nomadic” politicians, By Ehichioya Ezomon

Lying has become the norm for most Nigerian politicians. But then, if politicians don’t lie, how’ll they survive the political labyrinths every step of the way? They’ve to lie about anything and everything to stay afloat and remain “relevant” to their constituents, their bases, their supporters, their followers, and the public that give them a pass for their cleverness.

  Politicians lie about what they’ll do. They lie about what they’ll not do. They lie about what they didn’t do. They lie about why they didn’t do what they should do.They lie about why they didn’t do what they shouldn’t do. And they lie about why they’re itinerant “nomads” and jump from one party to another.

  Lying by both high-profile and low-profile politicians has dominated Nigeria’s 2027 election cycle, as fiercely-ambitious aspirants defect on daily, weekly or monthly basis, seeking soft-landing to realise their elective positions on different platforms no matter their leanings.

  Ahead of the party primaries for the 2027 General Election, lying by politicians reached a new high the past week, as the 21-day deadline, set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for political parties to submit their membership registers, expired on Sunday, May 10, 2026.

  As per Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026 (as amended), “Only members whose names are contained in the register shall be eligible to vote and be voted for in party primaries, congresses and conventions” (subsection (5), and “A political party shall not use any other register for party primaries, congresses and conventions except the register submitted to the Commission” (subsection (7).

  The “pain in the butt,” and the sticky point for “nomadic politicians” in the Electoral Act 2026 is the proviso that once an aspirant participates in the primary of one party and loses, they can’t take part in the primary of another party. As you can’t belong to two parties at the same time, the 2027 aspirants embarked on last-minute defectiond, and lied through their teeth why they left their “original” parties.

  The rapid realignments, known as a “fast-paced, 24-hour defection-re-defection-defection,” or “defected-and-defected-again” scenario, typifies the kind of movements by ex-Anambra State Governor and candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 poll, Peter Obi and his supporters from LP to ADC to NDC, and former Kano Governor and candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and his followers from NNPP to ADC to NDC, respectively, “within a very short timeframe following initial alliance discussions.”

  The public have Mr Obi’s summary of his reasons for leaving the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) – as the likely go-to “last busstop” for perennial defectors.

  Explaining “Why I left ADC,” Obi, in a post on his X/Twitter account, heaped the blame on a pattern of destabilisation by government actors. But in a fleeting moment of forgetfulness, he also gave other reasons for his non-apologia switching of camps, as the text indicates below:

  “Let me state clearly: my decision to leave the ADC is not because our highly respected Chairman, Senator David Mark, treated me badly, nor because my leader and elder brother, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other respected leaders did anything personally wrong to me. I will continue to respect them.

  “However, the same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC, with endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division, instead of focusing on deeper national problems and playing politics built more on control and exclusion than on service and nation-building.

  “We now live in an environment that has become increasingly toxic – a society where intimidation, insecurity, and discouragement have become normal. Even within spaces where one labours sincerely, one is sometimes treated like an outsider in one’s own home. You and your team become easy targets for every failure, frustration, or misunderstanding, as though honest contribution has become a favour being tolerated rather than appreciated.

  “And when you choose to leave so that those you are leaving can have peace, and you step out into the cold, you are still maligned and your character is questioned. Despite all your efforts to continue working for a better Nigeria and engaging people with sincerity and goodwill, those who do not wish you well continue to attack your character and question your intentions.

  “More painful is when some of those you associate with, believing you would find understanding and solidarity among them, become part of the pressure you face. I am not desperate to be President, Vice President, or Senate President. I am desperate to see a society that can console a mother whose child has been kidnapped or killed while going to school or work.

  “I am desperate to see a Nigeria where people will not live in IDP camps but in their homes. I am desperate for a country where Nigerian citizens do not go to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal will come from.”

  Never one to take responsibility for his failings and shortcomings, the question to ask Obi is, was alleged destabilisation by the government and its agents the reason(s) he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) – under which he served as governor (2006-2014), and reportedly swore by his family name not to leave it – to the PDP, and to LP? These are spurious and untenable excuses only diehard supporters and followers can swallow without interrogation!

  Instead of taking charge, and decisive actions in times of crisis, Obi always abandon ship midstream, as attested to by his running mate in the 2023 poll, Dr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, who spoke to journalists on May 4, 2026, after decamping to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

  Baba-Ahmed’s words: “Someone (Obi) who got a Labour Party ticket so easily should have stayed to fix the problems of the Labour Party, however difficult they were. I stood and I earned the wrath of many because I said, ‘Come and reconcile’ in the Labour Party, only for me to hear and read that my former leader says wherever there is a quarrel, he will walk away. So, there’s a quarrel in Nigeria; you’ll walk away?

  “These are things that don’t add up. A leader must be firm. However gentle you are as a leader, you must be willing to fight… If you’re not ready to fight, don’t even come out; stay in your house. You are going into politics, which is a contact sport, and in a country like Nigeria that is diverse and heated, you don’t want to argue? Then this is not your game.”

  Though censured across social media platforms, and by the Presidency under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Obi, certainly, was fighting for his political survival by escaping from the “structure of criminality” ADC, which he joined, hoping to freely get its ticket – being guarded with an eagle eye – by the party’s chief promoter and leader of the Coalition of Opposition Politicians (COP), former Vice President and thrice presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

  All along, Obi, who should spare Nigerians his refrain of, “I am not desperate to be President,” has a “Plan B” as he did in 2023, to escape from Atiku – whom he paired as vice-presidential candidate in the 2019 poll under then-main oppostion PDP – stifling his bid for President in 2027, as he senses a better prospect than in the 2023 poll when he placed third behind Atiku and then-APC candidate and incumbent President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

  Obi’s virtually landed the NDC ticket following the party’s zoning of its presidential slot to Southern Nigeria for only a four-year term (2027-2031) – a gesture Obi’s repeatedly sought while canvassing for President in the 2027 poll – before the ticket automatically switches to Northern Nigeria for the next eight years (2031-2039) in line with the unwritten rotation of the presidency between the North and South.

  As he awaits “coronation” at the primary, will Obi blame the allegation that the NDC isn’t legally registered by the INEC – and that its National Legal Adviser is listed for the same office in the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) – as the handiwork of the Nigerian state and its agents going after him anywhere he goes? It’s evident that, despite his efforts, Obi can’t run away from himself!

  Having got to the last busstop from where they can’t give spurious reasons to change camps again, Obi and Kwankwaso should leverage the energy of their new support group – Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) Movement (“OK Movement”) – to carry them over the finish line in 2027. To achieve that goal, they need to do the heavy-lifting, and stop the lies, the excuses and the blame game!

• Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria. Can be reached on X, Threads, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp @EhichioyaEzomon. Tel: 08033078357.

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