ABUJA, NIGERIA – Former presidential candidate Peter Obi’s resignation from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been described by a political analyst as “evasion disguised as principle” – the latest sharp critique of a politician known for shifting party platforms.
Babajide Balogun, a prominent public affairs analyst, said Obi’s pattern of retreat from political combat raises serious questions about his readiness for governance.
“Leadership demands spine, not escape routes. It demands conviction, not convenience,” Balogun told CNN.
Obi announced Sunday he was leaving the ADC, citing internal divisions, external interference, and a toxic political environment – the same reasons he gave for quitting the Labour Party, under which he ran for president in 2023.
But Balogun argued the real issue is Obi’s unwillingness to compete and win on merit.
“Nigeria does not need political tourists drifting from platform to platform in search of the easiest path,” he said. “It needs fighters – leaders who can stand, contend, and win on merit. The opposition needs warriors, not escape artists. Nigeria deserves far better.”
A history of fracturing the opposition?
Balogun traced Obi’s political trajectory, alleging that his choices helped fracture a winnable opposition in 2023.
“In 2023, the Peoples Democratic Party stood on the cusp of reclaiming power,” Balogun said. “Yet, on the eve of its defining moment, Obi walked away – abandoning the field rather than contesting it – and transformed what could have been a straight fight into a fractured three-way contest that ultimately handed victory to the All Progressives Congress.”
Following that defeat, Balogun said, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar tried to rebuild the opposition through a broad coalition anchored on the ADC. But according to Balogun, Obi and his camp instead ignited a rebellion – rejecting consensus, attacking the primary process, and pushing a relentless “Obi or Nothing” crusade.
‘If he cannot endure internal contest, how will he withstand governance?’
Balogun questioned whether Obi has the resilience for high office.
“If he cannot endure the contest within a party, how will he withstand the storms of governance?” he asked.
He contrasted Obi with political figures like Atiku Abubakar and Chibuike Amaechi, who have faced competitive primaries. Obi, he said, has cultivated a pattern: “when the heat rises, he exits.”
“Democracy is not a sanctuary for the faint-hearted,” Balogun added. “It is a battleground of ideas, strength, and legitimacy. A man who aspires to be Commander-in-Chief must first prove he can command within his own political camp.”
Obi’s response
Obi has not directly responded to Balogun’s remarks. But in his resignation statement Sunday, the former Anambra State governor insisted he is “not desperate to be President, Vice President, or Senate President” – only to see “a society that works for all.”
He blamed “the same Nigerian state and its agents” for creating crises that forced him out of both the Labour Party and now the ADC.
As of Monday morning, Obi had not announced his next political move. But critics like Balogun warn that another migration would only strengthen the ruling APC.
“When the final chapter of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency is written, history will not be kind to Peter Obi,” Balogun said. “It will record that his political choices helped fracture a winnable opposition and paved the way for the very outcome his supporters now lament.”
