Obidient Movement will remain in ADC if Atiku emerges presidential candidate – Tanko

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

Yunusa Tanko, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement has said his group will not abandon the African Democratic Congress, ADC if Peter Obi did not get the 2027 presidential ticket of the party.

Yunusa spoke as a guest of Channels Television on Thursday morning in reaction to formal defection of Obi from Labour Party to ADC on Wednesday. The Obidient Movement consists of a group of youths who are supporters of Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party.

Yunusa was optimistic of the prospects of Obi emerging as the ADC’s presidential candidate, vowing that the Obidient Movement will galvanise and mobilise Nigerians for him ahead of the party’s primary.

“When it comes to the issue of primary as democrats, we will go in there and contest equitably well with every contestant based on democratic tenets. And of course, we believe at the end of it all, Mr. Peter Obi will come out on top with the large, teeming population that he’s bringing into the ADC.

But he said the Movement will remain in the party, if as being speculated, former vice president Atiku Abubakar emerges the party’s presidential candidate.

“We are democrat and we will take democratic decisions. That means that we will remain in the party and give the party the lease of life that it demands democratically. Democracy comes with affirmation and he (Obi) has affirmed to be part of the democratic process. So we will take our decision democratically and remain with the movement and the coalition as it were,” Yunusa said.

He, however, added that Peter Obi has directed every member of Obidient Movement to go and pick up the membership card of an ADC in their wards vowed that in the next few days many heavyweights will join the party as a result of formal defection of the former LP’s presidential candidate.

Tanko noted that the presence of former governors who were not with Obi before during his defection in Enugu on Wednesday was evidence of the momentum the former Anambra governor is bringing to ADC.

“Members of the Federal House of Representatives who were part of other political parties defected right there and took up the mantle of leadership of joining the ADC. This was done only yesterday at that particular Nikki Lake hotel. It is important for me to raise this.

“He (Obi) is the only presidential candidate that came up with a lot of teaming support of people who came in to join him. That speaks volume. So if you like, you can undermine that particular strength of political interest and watch in the next few days.

“So, Peter Obi is a mobilizer of men, men of integrity, people who believe that they need to change the narrative. And they believe that this is the time, better organized, ready to move.

“The Obedient Movement have declared long before now that anywhere Mr. Peter Obi is going, we will go with him. So currently, don’t be perturbed. Be more hopeful that I can tell you that the mobilization and the movement that you will see will be different from what you saw in 2023.

“So, in the next few weeks, you will be seeing people doing their independent picking of the cards of the ADC, which I have affirmed that every obedient would also do any moment from now.”