The media office of former presidential candidate Peter Obi said Monday that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is orchestrating a plan to prevent him from appearing on the ballot for the January 2027 election.
The allegation, made in a statement by Ibrahim Umar, spokesperson for Obi’s Media Reach (POMR), raised questions about the independence of Nigeria’s electoral and judicial institutions ahead of the 2027 polls.
“This underhanded plan has been in motion since the conclusion of the 2023 election, deliberately injecting crises into Obi’s Labour Party to prevent him from securing a foothold for the election,” the statement said.
The media office cited the prolonged leadership crisis in the Labour Party as evidence of a coordinated effort to weaken Obi politically, despite his efforts to restore order. It said government actors, aided by a “compromised judiciary,” had repeatedly undermined these efforts.
The statement said that after Obi left office on Dec. 31, 2025, courts that had previously ignored a Supreme Court ruling suddenly acted on Jan. 7, 2026, dismissing the intrusions of Julius Abure and his faction within the party.
Obi’s team also alleged that the pressure increased after he aligned with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, with changes to the Electoral Act and actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission interpreted in ways that could block his candidacy.
“They are attempting to create an illusion of democratic choice by propping up surrogates in various political parties while scheming for a one-party system in a nation of over 200 million people,” the statement said.
Obi’s media office called on stakeholders to “uphold the values of democracy” and ensure that he has the opportunity to present his vision for Nigeria to voters in 2027.
