Supporters of Mr. Peter Obi, widely known as the Obidients, have vowed to resist any efforts to block his path to the 2027 presidential ballot, countering remarks made by Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu.
Bwala, while speaking on Channels Television on Wednesday, confidently stated that Obi would not secure the ticket of any political party, claiming he might only serve as Director-General for the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He further alleged that Obi had lost 50% of his voter base from 2023 and predicted President Tinubu would garner up to two million votes from the South East in 2027—a region previously considered Obi’s stronghold.
Bwala asserted: “He’s not going to get a ticket in any of the parties. He might not even get the vice presidential ticket. He has lost more than 50% of his votes because they were built on rhetoric and division, and Nigerian people’s eyes are open. President Bola Tinubu will get up to two million votes in the South East.”
Reacting swiftly, Dr. Chibuzor Obiesili, a member of the Abia State Coordinating Council of the Obidients Movement, dismissed Bwala’s claims as baseless and politically motivated.
Obiesili questioned whether the presidency was now dictating party tickets and described the remarks as “suspicious.”
He refuted the claim of voter loss, calling it “wishful thinking and empty political hallucination,” and insisted Obi’s support was not only intact but growing nationwide.
“Bwala should stop hallucinating; Obi is gaining more support, not losing it. His national appeal is so organic that even those who were not involved in 2023 are now key drivers of the movement”, he said.
Obiesili highlighted that regions previously unsupportive of Obi in 2023 had now joined the movement, fueled by disillusionment with APC’s promised “change.”
He declared: “2023 was an Obi wave, but 2027 will be an Obi tsunami. Nigerians now understand the false promises of APC’s change—it’s a chain!”.
He also challenged the presidency’s claims of Tinubu’s projected votes in the South East, calling them “suspicious and baseless.”
According to Obiesili, Tinubu’s policies have failed to improve lives in the region or elsewhere, making such claims unrealistic. “Bwala’s two million votes for Tinubu in the South East are as unfounded as Dr. Nicolas Felix’s boast of 15 million votes. Tinubu lost the South East in 2023, and nothing has changed to justify these imaginary numbers”, he argued.
Obiesili emphasized that the Obidients Movement is driven by Obi’s vision for a new Nigeria rooted in accountability, transparency, and performance.
He described the movement as a patriotic, non-partisan effort to rescue Nigeria from political hijackers and create a nation free from tribal, religious, or cultural biases.
“The Obidients Movement is a national project to reset Nigeria and make it great again. Nigerians are resolute about the coming tsunami of change”, he concluded.