Mr Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, defected to the ADC in December shortly after declaring his intention to contest in the 2027 presidential election.
A former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has warned that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) may become irrelevant if it fails to field Peter Obi as its presidential candidate in 2027.
Mr Fayose disclosed this in an interview with Arise News, which is scheduled for broadcast on Tuesday.
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Mr Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, defected to the ADC in December shortly after declaring his intention to contest in the 2027 presidential election.
'Obi is the only life figure in ADC'
Speaking in the interview, Mr Fayose said Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, is the only political figure who can give the ADC national relevance.
"Obi is the only traction. Obi is the only meaning, Obi is the only factor, Obi is the only person in ADC that matters," he said.
"I'm telling you, even if you don't field Obi, if ADC fails to field Obi, their case will be worse than their coming together," Mr Fayose added.
The former Ekiti governor argued that Mr Obi's political influence is beyond party structures, noting that his popularity was clearly demonstrated during the 2023 general election when the LP won many seats in the National Assembly and a governorship election in Abia State.
"When Obi went to Labour Party, Labour Party that was never known, people won elections to the House of Representatives," he said, maintaining that Mr Obi's influence in the LP brought immediate electoral fortunes to the party.
'Atiku, Rotimi Amechi, El Rufai are all spent forces'
During the interview, Reuben Abati, one of the programme anchors, mentioned other top politicians, including the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the former governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai, who are members of the ADC
"I didn't say there are no other human beings in ADC. I'm saying others are largely spent forces," Mr Fayose responded.
"Peter Obi is the life in ADC," he added.
The former governor stressed that Mr Obi would get "significant support" regardless of the political party under which he contests in 2027.
However, Mr Fayose said his comments should not be misconstrued as predicting a victory for Mr Obi in the 2027 election.
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"I'm not saying Obi will win this election. I'm not saying Obi will not win this election," he said.
