POLITICS
‘I Saw No Future With Obidients’- Ex-Obi Campaign Chie Defends Return to APC
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Former Obi-Datti Deputy Campaign Manager Isaac Balami says he returned to the APC after concluding that President Bola Tinubu had addressed many of the concerns that prompted his exit in 2022
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Balami claims the Obi-Datti campaign lacked the structure to defend its electoral mandate in 2023, alleging the party failed to recruit and deploy sufficient polling agents
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While acknowledging widespread economic pain, the APC stalwart argues that the Tinubu administration has embarked on unprecedented reforms
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Dismissing allegations that his return to the APC was motivated by appointments or contracts, Balami says he has received no political reward since rejoining the ruling party
August 6, () — Former Deputy Campaign Manager of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign, Isaac Balami, has launched a robust defence of his decision to abandon the Labour Party and the Obidient Movement for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He declared that he saw “no future” in the opposition platform and that President Bola Tinubu had ultimately proved him wrong on the issues that informed his earlier criticism of the APC.
Balami, an aviation entrepreneur and philanthropist, made the remarks during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, where he also alleged that the Labour Party’s inability to build a functional electoral structure contributed significantly to its failure to sustain its challenge to the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
reports that Balami, a former APC chieftain had resigned from the ruling party in September 2022 to join Peter Obi’s presidential bid, citing concerns over the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket and what he described as the marginalisation of Christians and minority ethnic nationalities.
He returned to the APC in July 2024, attributing his decision to the Labour Party’s prolonged leadership crisis and what he considered the Tinubu administration’s responsiveness to some of his earlier concerns.
Balami said his departure from the Obidient Movement followed a personal reassessment of Nigeria’s political landscape after the 2023 election. According to him, the reasons that compelled him to leave the APC had been substantially addressed by the Tinubu administration.
“I just left because there was a reason why I left the APC—two major reasons. I am a Christian from Borno State… So why should I remain in a place where I see no future, when the person I castigated, insulted, and fought has proven me wrong?” he said.
He maintained that Politics should not be driven by permanent hostility but by the willingness to acknowledge changing realities.
Balami insisted there was nothing wrong with admitting that an opponent had exceeded expectations, arguing that leaders should be judged by their actions rather than preconceived opinions.
Defends Return To APC
Responding to criticism from members of the Obidient Movement, Balami rejected accusations of betrayal, stressing that his departure from the APC in 2022 had been entirely voluntary and came at considerable personal cost.
He disclosed that he sacrificed lucrative business opportunities and walked away from political advantages because he believed in the Obi-Datti project at the time.
According to him, the APC accepted his exit without hostility, questioning why his decision to return had generated outrage among some Labour Party supporters.
He further insisted that since rejoining the APC, he had neither received government appointments nor secured public contracts.
“I didn’t come back because of personal gain. If I stopped working today, God has already blessed me,” he said.
Balami devoted a significant portion of the interview to criticising the organisational capacity of the Labour Party during the 2023 general election. He alleged that despite the massive enthusiasm generated by the Obidient Movement, the party failed to establish an effective nationwide electoral structure capable of protecting its votes.
According to him, the campaign struggled to recruit polling agents and failed to obtain crucial Form EC8A result sheets that would have strengthened its legal challenge before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
“We couldn’t defend the votes. Common agents, we couldn’t raise; we couldn’t pay the agents,” he alleged.
Balami further claimed he personally mobilised resources to coordinate hundreds of thousands of support groups and organised training programmes for election agents, but alleged that the campaign leadership showed little interest in implementing the plans.
He argued that political movements cannot rely solely on popular enthusiasm without building sustainable organisational structures capable of winning and defending elections.
Despite his criticisms, Balami acknowledged that the Obidient Movement inspired millions of Nigerians but maintained that its leadership failed to translate public support into an effective electoral machine.
Tinubu ‘Has Been Fair’
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The APC stalwart argued that Tinubu’s administration had demonstrated greater fairness towards minority ethnic nationalities than previous democratic governments.
He pointed to the implementation of local government autonomy, appointments involving minority groups, recruitment of forest guards, NELFUND, security sector reforms, and the removal of fuel subsidy as examples of difficult but necessary decisions.
Balami also claimed the administration had attracted substantial foreign direct investment while pursuing reforms aimed at restructuring the economy.
Although he admitted that Nigerians were experiencing severe economic hardship, he insisted that such pains were inevitable consequences of long-delayed reforms.
“I would be a liar to say there is no suffering in the land. But I would also be unfair to deny that significant economic reforms are taking place,” he said.
Drawing from developments in his native Borno State, Balami argued that security had improved sufficiently for many displaced farmers to return to their communities after years of insurgency.
He, however, acknowledged that insecurity had not been eliminated, saying the country was still confronting serious security challenges.
According to him, conditions today compare favourably with the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency when many communities were unable to access their farmlands for several years.
He maintained that the recruitment of forest guards and greater attention to local security structures were helping vulnerable communities regain confidence.
No Contact With Peter Obi
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Balami disclosed that neither he nor Peter Obi had contacted each other since his resignation from the Obidient Movement. He explained that he resigned voluntarily rather than being forced out, adding that he had no regrets over his decision.
The APC stalwart also dismissed claims that he could single-handedly deliver millions of votes for Tinubu in the 2027 election, describing himself as someone who believes in teamwork rather than personality-driven Politics.
