Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
The Anambra State Government has urged voters in the state to reject Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), in the 2027 general election, accusing the former governor of working to weaken the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the party that has governed the state for much of the past two decades.
The government made the call on Monday, October 5, 2026, through a statement published on the official social media account managed by the New Media office of Governor Chukwuma Soludo. The statement, directed particularly at APGA supporters, described Obi’s political relationship with the party as a betrayal and urged voters to protect what it called the party’s political base.
The intervention marks another escalation in the increasingly confrontational political relationship between Obi and the Soludo administration as politicians position themselves ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Anambra government targets Obi’s APGA record
In the statement, titled “A Betrayal Alert for Ndi APGA,” the Anambra government alleged that Obi had pursued a political agenda against APGA since leaving office as governor.
The government said a vote for Obi and the NDC would amount to supporting the weakening of APGA and called on members and supporters of the party to resist his presidential campaign.
The state government’s position is political and represents its assessment of Obi’s relationship with APGA. The allegation that Obi set out to destroy the party has not been established as an independent fact.
The government also referred to political developments involving APGA and the opposition ahead of the 2027 election, arguing that supporters of the ruling state party should distinguish between loyalty to APGA and support for Obi’s presidential ambition.
The statement comes as Obi campaigns nationally under the NDC after a series of political realignments since the 2023 presidential election.
Obi’s political journey from APGA to NDC
Obi’s relationship with APGA is central to the dispute because he became governor of Anambra State under the party and governed the state from 2006 to 2014.
He formally left APGA in October 2014 and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He subsequently left the PDP in 2022 and became the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
Obi finished third in the 2023 presidential election behind Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.
He later left the Labour Party and became associated with the opposition coalition that initially adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform. In 2026, Obi subsequently emerged as the presidential candidate of the NDC ahead of the 2027 election.
His movement across political platforms has become an important feature of Nigeria’s opposition politics, particularly as parties attempt to build alliances capable of challenging the ruling APC in 2027.
APGA’s significance in Anambra politics
APGA has a particularly strong political identity in Anambra State.
The party has controlled the governorship for several successive terms, beginning with Obi’s election as governor in 2006. Willie Obiano later succeeded Obi, while Soludo became governor in 2022.
Soludo remains the incumbent governor and is seeking to consolidate APGA’s political influence in the state.
The party’s continued dominance has made Anambra an important battleground in discussions about Obi’s political influence and the future direction of the South-East.
For APGA, the emergence of Obi as an NDC presidential candidate presents a complicated political situation. Obi remains a former APGA governor and retains significant political recognition in Anambra, while the current APGA-led administration is openly opposing his presidential campaign.
That tension is particularly significant because presidential elections in Nigeria are conducted nationally, meaning Obi’s campaign requires support beyond his traditional South-East political base.
Government’s accusation comes amid wider dispute
The latest confrontation follows other disagreements between Obi and the Anambra government in recent weeks.
One of the most prominent disputes concerns the financial position Obi left behind when he completed his tenure as governor in 2014.
In September, Anambra government officials said previous administrations, including Obi’s, had left loans and other financial obligations that subsequent governments were servicing.
Obi rejected the claims and maintained that he left office without unpaid salaries, pensions or contractor obligations.
He also said he left funds for the state, including an ecological fund, and disputed the government’s description of inherited liabilities.
The dispute has become part of the wider political contest surrounding Obi’s record as a former governor and his campaign for the presidency.
The Anambra government has continued to defend its account of the state’s finances, while Obi and his political allies have challenged the administration’s interpretation of his record.
Because the claims remain politically contested, they should not be treated as established facts without reference to supporting financial records and independent verification.
Obi’s position on the 2027 election
Obi has continued to campaign for the 2027 presidential election and has repeatedly called for a credible electoral process.
In September, he urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that Nigerians’ votes would count and warned against political manipulation of the electoral process.
He has also advocated issue-based campaigns and criticised politicians for making promises that cannot be fulfilled.
The NDC candidate has presented the 2027 election as an opportunity for Nigerians to demand better governance and economic reforms.
His campaign therefore places him directly against the political interests of the APC at the national level and, increasingly, against the APGA administration controlling his former political stronghold.
A growing political divide in Anambra
The dispute between the Anambra government and Obi illustrates the increasingly competitive nature of the state’s politics ahead of 2027.
Anambra has historically provided Obi with a strong political base. His tenure as governor and his performance in the 2023 presidential election gave him considerable recognition among voters in the state.
However, the current APGA government under Soludo has sought to distinguish its political record from Obi’s administration and has increasingly challenged claims made by the former governor about his record in office.
The latest statement takes that confrontation into the presidential contest by directly asking APGA supporters to oppose Obi.
For the Soludo administration, protecting APGA’s political influence is also linked to maintaining the party’s position as a major political force in Anambra.
For Obi and the NDC, winning meaningful support in Anambra would strengthen the former governor’s argument that his influence extends beyond his past association with APGA.
What APGA supporters face
The government’s appeal places APGA supporters before a potentially difficult political choice.
Obi’s candidacy could attract voters who identify with his political message or his record as a former Anambra governor, while APGA’s leadership is asking its supporters to remain loyal to the party and reject his presidential bid.
The situation also demonstrates the distinction between state-level and national political interests.
A voter may support APGA candidates in state elections while supporting a different party in a presidential election. Conversely, party leaders may seek to align voting behaviour across different levels of government to protect their political influence.
Nigeria’s electoral system permits voters to make separate choices for different offices, making the outcome of the 2027 presidential contest in Anambra difficult to determine solely from the state’s long-standing support for APGA.
Wider implications for the 2027 election
The disagreement matters beyond Anambra because the South-East is an important component of the national presidential contest.
Obi’s political strength in the region has made his campaign particularly relevant to discussions about the distribution of presidential votes in the South-East.
At the same time, APGA’s established political structure in Anambra provides the state government with a significant grassroots organisation.
The clash between the two political interests could therefore influence how political campaigns are organised in the state and how voters respond to competing appeals.
It also highlights a broader feature of Nigerian politics: political alliances can change substantially between election cycles, with politicians moving between parties while attempting to retain support among voters.
For the 2027 presidential election, the question will be whether Obi can maintain the support associated with his previous campaigns despite no longer being affiliated with APGA or the Labour Party, and whether APGA can consolidate its traditional support behind its preferred political direction.
Reactions remain politically significant
The Anambra government’s latest statement represents one side of an increasingly contentious political debate.
Obi has previously rejected allegations and criticisms concerning his record in office, including the state’s claims about inherited debts. His position has been that his administration settled its obligations before leaving office.
The NDC and Obi’s supporters have also continued to promote his candidacy and policy proposals ahead of 2027.
As of the latest reporting reviewed for this article, the Anambra government’s October 5 statement was the immediate basis for the call on voters to resist Obi. Weng Global has not found a direct response from Obi to this specific October 5 statement at the time of publication.
That distinction is important because the government’s accusations should be understood as political claims rather than independently established findings.
What happens next
The political dispute is likely to continue as the 2027 election approaches.
The Anambra government and APGA are expected to continue defending the party’s political position in the state, while Obi and the NDC are expected to campaign for support among Anambra voters and across the wider South-East.
Further debate is also likely over Obi’s record as governor, the state’s inherited finances and the competing visions being offered to voters.
For the electorate, the central issue will ultimately be whether political claims are supported by verifiable records and whether candidates can demonstrate credible plans for addressing the country’s economic, security and social challenges.
The Independent National Electoral Commission will also have a major role in managing the electoral process and ensuring that voters are able to participate in a credible election.
Why the development matters
The Anambra government’s decision to openly urge voters to reject Peter Obi represents a significant escalation in the political contest ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election.
The dispute is particularly notable because Obi is a former governor who governed the state under APGA, while the current administration is also controlled by the party.
The political disagreement therefore involves more than competing presidential candidates. It also reflects a struggle over APGA’s identity, Obi’s political legacy in Anambra and the future alignment of voters in one of the South-East’s most politically influential states.
For voters, however, the competing claims will require careful scrutiny.
The government’s accusation that Obi destroyed APGA remains an allegation made by the state administration. Obi’s defence of his record, particularly on Anambra’s finances, represents a competing account.
The most reliable assessment will ultimately depend on verifiable party records, government documents, financial records and other evidence rather than political rhetoric.
As the 2027 election draws closer, Anambra is likely to remain an important arena in the contest over Peter Obi’s political influence and APGA’s future.
Weng Global – stories beyond borders
Sources
- Anambra State Government
- The PUNCH
- TheCable
- Channels Television
- The Guardian Nigeria
- Situation Room Nigeria
