Former Deputy campaign manager of the Obi/Datti presidential campaign, Isaac Balami, has disclosed that erstwhile Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, did not reach out to him after he left the party.
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, he disclosed that he had made no attempt to contact Obi either, saying he left the movement out of anger and resigned of his own accord rather than being dismissed.
“Peter Obi, since I resigned and left, he has never reached out to me. I was angry; I left. So why should I reach out to him? I left. I wasn’t fired; I left. So, as far as I’m actually concerned, he knows that when I left, I left,” he said.
In a message to young Nigerians who supported the Obidient movement in 2023, Balami urged them to judge President Tinubu’s administration by what he described as its reforms and achievements rather than by his personal endorsement.
He cited local government autonomy, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), youth appointments and reforms in key sectors as reasons for his support, expressing confidence that the administration would create opportunities for younger Nigerians and leave the country in a stronger position by 2031.
“For me, what I would say to them is that they know why I left the APC to support Obi and Datti. They know why I am back to the APC. I’ve said it not once, not twice. You see, the transformation, the reforms that we’re talking about today in Nigeria, I am an example,” he said.
