The constitution of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has ruled out the possibility of Peter Obi contesting the 2027 presidential election under its platform due to his continued membership in the Labour Party.
Although Obi has shown interest in running for president again and has associated himself with the ADC, he is yet to formally resign from the Labour Party.
This goes against the ADC’s constitutional rule, which allows only card-carrying members who have no ties with any other political party to contest for public office.
On the other hand, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi appear to stand a better chance within the ADC.
Both politicians have left their former parties, the PDP and APC and may now qualify to seek the party’s presidential ticket, according to party rules.
According to Leadership, ADC’s third schedule, which outlines how primary elections should be conducted, and Article 8 on membership, both stressed that no aspirant must belong to another party or maintain any form of affiliation.
Anyone previously in a different party must have fully resigned.
This constitutional clause creates a clear obstacle for Obi, who has not announced any official departure from the Labour Party and is still seen as one of its leaders.
Speaking on the matter, Obi’s media aide, Tanko Yunusa, confirmed that the former Anambra governor remains a member of the Labour Party.
He added that if Obi decides to make a change, the public will be informed.
The ADC has also restated its commitment to fair internal elections.
The party says its primaries will be transparent and reflect the true will of its members.
It also reserved the right to adopt direct primaries, indirect primaries, or consensus, depending on the decision of its National Executive Committee.
