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By Lawrence Agbo
ADC spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi has revealed that former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, once threatened to leave the African Democratic Congress (ADC) because of what he described as excessive concessions and privileges given to former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Abdullahi made the disclosure while reacting to Obi’s explanation for leaving the ADC on May 3 to join the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) alongside former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Obi had said he left the ADC because of what he described as internal battles, endless court cases and uncertainty over the future of the party.
However, Abdullahi dismissed that claim, insisting that Obi enjoyed more privileges inside the ADC than any other opposition coalition leader and therefore lacked the moral standing to accuse the party of creating a hostile environment.
According to him, the level of concessions made for Obi once created serious tension within the coalition, prompting Amaechi to confront the party’s national chairman, David Mark.
“There was a time Amaechi went to ADC national chairman David Mark and was threatening to leave the party because the ADC was pampering Peter Obi and that he was conceding everything to Obi,” Abdullahi said.
He explained that Obi was allowed to nominate key figures into the party’s National Working Committee, including one of his own deputies and the National Organising Secretary, a privilege not extended to either Amaechi or former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“I had two deputies under me, and one was nominated by Peter Obi. Amaechi and Atiku can’t point at anybody they nominated in the NWC. The national organising secretary was a Peter Obi man,” he stated.
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Abdullahi added that before Obi joined the coalition, figures like Osita Chidoka had been actively involved in building the alliance and had expected key party roles.
He said Chidoka had hoped to become National Organising Secretary, but the position was eventually handed to Obi’s camp to make him feel included, a decision he said cost the party Chidoka’s involvement.
“We gave that position to Obi to nominate someone. That was how we lost Osita,” he said.
Abdullahi maintained that the ADC leadership made those sacrifices deliberately because coalition politics required compromise and inclusiveness.
He therefore argued that if anyone should complain of marginalisation or a toxic environment, it should not be Obi.
He also dismissed claims that the ADC is under the control of Atiku, saying Obi and Kwankwaso may have been influenced by false propaganda suggesting the party belonged to the former vice president.
Beyond internal party matters, Abdullahi accused governors of diverting federal allocation funds to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election plans, describing it as a criminal misuse of public resources.
He also criticised the judiciary, alleging that actions by some government agents had damaged public trust and made many Nigerians see the courts as an extension of the federal government.
