A former deputy campaign manager of the Obi-Datti presidential campaign, Isaac Balami, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu had changed his perception on key issues he previously criticised.
NEWSNGR reports that Balami left the All Progressives Congress (APC) in September 2022 to join the Labour Party and the Obidient movement, citing concerns over inequality and the party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
He returned to the ruling party in July 2024, attributing his decision to the Labour Party’s internal leadership crisis and what he described as its inability to offer a credible path for Nigeria.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise News, Balami defended his decision to leave the Obidient Movement, saying he saw no reason to remain on a platform where he believed there was no future.
He asserted that Tinubu, whom he had previously criticised, had proven him wrong on issues that informed his earlier opposition.
“I just left because, one, there was a reason why I left the APC, two major reasons. I am a Christian from Borno State, and you saw the killings against Christians over the years. Then, the issue of the marginalisation of ethnic nationalities. Now, the question here is: At the end of the campaign, after the election, I wasn’t happy, and I made it clear. I’m not here to talk against my principal; we all know what happened. 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 quizzed.
Responding to criticism that he betrayed the Obidient movement, Balami rejected the accusation, insisting his decision to leave the APC in 2022 was voluntary and made at significant personal cost, arguing that he should be free to return to the APC without being vilified, just as the ruling party accepted his earlier defection
“To stay back in the APC was at least to get several other contracts. The presidential aircraft was in my hangar, and I walked away from the APC even when I knew no bank was backing me up. I was in Dubai to establish the university before the Dubai challenges with the Emirate Airline and the Nigerian government. When I got the call from the Middle Belt leaders, I didn’t come to look for work. I was called by the leaders of the Middle Belt saying, ‘Please, we know you have this business, but we want you to come and do this assignment for us.’ And I came. Nobody in the APC insulted me. It was my choice. I chose to do that,” he insisted.
Balami also defended his return to the APC, arguing that political defections should not be viewed differently depending on the party involved. He said his contributions to the Obi-Datti campaign were publicly documented and questioned why his decision to return to the APC had attracted criticism when the ruling party accepted his departure in 2022 without hostility.
“The role I played is available online. You can Google my name; you saw the passion and the commitment. Today, if I have a fallout or things are not the way I expected, and I go back to the APC where I come from, the same way the APC took it when I went to another party, why is the other side not taking it? It’s a question I am yet to receive an answer for,” he questioned.
Addressing questions about his political ideology, Balami said he returned to the APC because the reasons that prompted his departure in 2022 had, in his view, been substantially addressed by the Tinubu administration.
He argued that minority groups in Northern Nigeria were receiving greater recognition, pointing to local government autonomy, the recruitment of forest guards and increased inclusion of previously marginalised communities. He added that there was nothing wrong with admitting an opponent had proven you wrong and insisted his decision to return to the APC was not motivated by personal gain.
“I went against the APC and left the APC for the Labour Party because of those two reasons. And I’m here to tell you that the reasons why I left the APC are not there as they used to be. Is it 10 over 10? 100%? No. But I’m telling you that I come from a region that was not recognised. During elections, it is one Arewa, one North. And then after elections, certain people in the establishment take the whole national cake,” he said.
