Ex-Obi campaign officials launch 'Batified Obidients', back Tinubu for 2027
- Former officials of Peter Obi's 2023 campaign have endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027.
- The group, called Batified Obidients, says it will mobilise voters for the APC, especially where Tinubu lost in 2023.
- It criticised Obi's handling of talent and internal disputes, but said its view does not speak for all his supporters.
A group of people who held senior roles in Peter Obi's 2023 presidential campaign have switched sides, throwing their weight behind President Bola Tinubu's re-election bid in 2027.
The group announced the move at a press conference in Abuja, where it unveiled a new platform called Batified Obidients and said it had adopted the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its political vehicle. It also endorsed Vice-President Kashim Shettima for a second term.
The group is led by Adesina Fagbenro-Byron, who was director of operations in the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council. Fabian Ozoigbo Chukwudoruo, formerly in charge of logistics for the campaign and now deputy national coordinator of the new group, read the keynote address.
Why they say they left
The defectors said their time inside the campaign left them doubting Obi's readiness for national leadership. They alleged that skilled volunteers were underused, that differences among members were poorly handled, and that internal disputes were left to fester.
Fagbenro-Byron said the campaign drew capable professionals whose experience was never fully put to work. He said he still believes Obi meant well, but argued that the demands of running Nigeria may have exceeded what Obi was prepared for.
The group was careful to say its conclusions are its own and do not represent everyone who voted for Obi in 2023. It noted that some former Obi supporters have since joined other parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), while others remain in the Labour Party.
It did not say how many former campaign officials have joined the new platform, or how much reach it has among the wider Obidient movement.
Why they chose Tinubu
The group said it weighed the Tinubu administration's reforms over the past three years and decided the direction was worth supporting, even while acknowledging the pain they have caused.
Fagbenro-Byron said hunger and the cost of living are real and that many families are struggling. Among the policies the group cited were the removal of the petrol subsidy, bigger allocations to state and local governments, student loans, local fertiliser production and rules allowing states a greater role in the electricity market. It also pointed to the Supreme Court's affirmation of financial autonomy for local governments.
The group backed the infrastructure push under Works Minister David Umahi, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo and Solid Minerals Minister Dele Alake, saying it wants those projects finished.
On the name, Fagbenro-Byron said members have not abandoned their demand for good governance, only changed the party they believe can deliver it.
For 2027, the group said it will register members, hold rallies and campaign, focusing on states where Tinubu lost in 2023. It said it will work with existing APC support groups rather than set up a rival structure, and urged all tiers of government to build a reliable social register so help reaches the poorest Nigerians.
What happens next: The 2027 campaigns are still taking shape. How much this group can actually deliver at the grassroots, especially in Labour Party strongholds, will be tested once voter mobilisation begins.
