Utomi Commends Obi’s Departure from ADC, Calls It a Wise Move

Academic and political economist, Pat Utomi, has said that former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi’s exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), was a strategic and timely decision. He described the exit as a necessary escape from a compromised political process.

Utomi, speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, said the recent controversies within the ADC further cemented fears that the internal processes of the party were already skewed. “Political manoeuvring by powerful players has increasingly eroded the credibility of party primaries in Nigeria,” he said.

“In the light of hindsight… it was almost a foregone conclusion that it would go in a particular direction. So it was a pretty smart move by him,” he added.

“I was out of the country when Obi’s political realignment took place and I was not aware of the plans beforehand,” Utomi said. He said he had initially advised political actors aligned with Obi to remain within the ADC and test their strength through internal competition.

“I was outside the country when the move happened. “I wasn’t aware of the plans,” he said, adding that he had previously argued that staying within the party was the best way to challenge internal structures.

But he said the happenings within the ADC pointed to deeper problems with internal democracy which, in his view, justified Obi’s decision to exit.

“But I was also very cognizant of games that were being played… a very undemocratic kind of process being used to keep a certain candidate off the ballot,” he said.

He added that at the time of the election, polling data showed that Obi stood a good chance of winning a party ticket if a transparent process had been allowed. Still, he maintained that power brokers often override such results.
“Party hierarchies and bosses” have made internal elections a “make-believe democratic process,” he said.

Utomi also used the interview as an opportunity to emphasise wider issues within Nigeria’s political system, which he said, invariably stifles talent while promoting recycled political actors without new ideas or any record of performance.

“What we have done is to continue this process within the Big Tent to do a manifesto for Nigeria,” he said, explaining that the initiative would focus on identifying credible candidates across party lines based on competence and vision rather than party affiliation.

The movement will support candidates who pledge to governance reforms, irrespective of their political platform, he said.

The scholar also berated Nigeria’s political culture, saying it is too driven by ambition for office and not service. This mindset has weakened opposition politics and contributed to national stagnation, he argued.

“This obsession with power and public office is a disease,” he said, demanding a fundamental change in political attitudes.

On electoral reforms, Utomi said the issue of live transmission of results from polling units was an initiative of the Big Tent and not the NDC as reported in some quarters. “The plan is still under development as part of a broader effort to increase transparency through multiple independent monitoring channels,” he said.

He also sought stricter rules on political defections, saying that frequent party hopping undermines accountability and weakens democratic institutions.

While criticising the system, Utomi, however, said Nigeria still has the capacity for renewal if competent leadership is allowed to emerge through credible processes.