Eshioromeh Sebastian
Activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju has sarcastically described former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi as a “content creator”, who deserves a national award for converting former separatist agitators into Nigerian voters.
In a post on his official Facebook account on Monday, Adeyanju wrote:
“Peter Obi is a content creator. I wonder why some people take him serious but anyways, the hope he gives to his demographic is good. Hope is part of nation building.
The only credit he deserves is for helping us sanitize social media space of former Biafra agitators online and getting them interested in Nigeria politics”.
For that he should be commended and given a national award. All the Biafra flags on social media accounts have been replaced with Obi’s picture. A man afraid of ordinary primaries with Atiku is the one that want to face Tinubu, the grab it, snatch it and run with it master. He is an unserious content creator.”
Adeyanju’s remarks come as Obi’s political journey continues to evolve, marked by multiple party defections and an ongoing quest for the presidency.
Peter Obi’s political journey since 2022 has been characterised by high-profile defections, a massive youth movement, and persistent questions about his willingness to contest party primaries.
In May 2022, Obi left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shortly before its presidential primary, citing the party’s refusal to zone the presidential ticket to the South. He joined the Labour Party (LP), where he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
His campaign gave rise to the “Obidient Movement,” a youth-led movement that disrupted traditional political structures and mobilized millions of supporters across Nigeria. According to former LP treasurer Oluchi Oparah, Obi personally financed his campaign activities and helped lift the party “from zero level” financially, as the Labour Party was deeply in debt before his arrival.
Obi contested the February 2023 presidential election, finishing third behind Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and winner Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Despite his loss, the Obidient movement remained a significant political force.
During the campaign, Obi faced sharp criticism. On November 14, 2022, Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo released a letter describing Obi’s presidential bid as a “fleeting frenzy of the moment” and calling his movement a “headless mob”.
Throughout 2025, Obi participated in opposition coalition talks aimed at uniting forces against President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election. On December 31, 2025, Obi left the Labour Party and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) alongside other opposition figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai. The move was framed as an effort to build a united opposition front.
Obi also made headlines in June 2025 when he pledged to serve only one term if elected president, insisting he would not remain in office “a day longer than four years, even with a gun to [his] head”.
On May 3, 2026, Obi announced his departure from the ADC, citing “recurring internal disputes and legal challenges within the party”. Within hours, he and former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso defected to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
This latest defection has drawn criticism from presidential aides and political commentators. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, reportedly described Obi as “a politician made of jelly, an opportunistic fellow” who “can’t fight Atiku or Amaechi for the ticket”.
Critics have noted that Obi has never participated in a competitive party primary. According to one political analysis, Obi has been affiliated with at least five political parties: All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as governor, PDP as vice-presidential candidate in 2019, Labour Party as presidential candidate in 2023, ADC briefly in 2025-2026, and now NDC.
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