The presidential bid of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, is reportedly facing resistance in parts of Northern Nigeria, with some political stakeholders and voters yet to embrace the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), according to findings by Sunday PUNCH.
Sources who spoke with the newspaper said the party was still struggling to establish a significant presence across the region, a situation they believe could affect its efforts to broaden support ahead of the 2027 general election. The stakeholders maintained that “majority of northerners” had not identified with the NDC and were still assessing its leadership, message and political direction.
The report also indicated that some northern political figures had begun discouraging their supporters from backing the party while portraying Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as politicians whose interests were not aligned with those of the region. According to observers, such narratives have contributed to growing scepticism toward the party among sections of the northern electorate.
The President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Council, Zaid Ayuba, attributed the party’s limited acceptance in the North largely to Obi’s perceived image among many northerners. Speaking on the issue, Ayuba argued that a significant number of people in the region did not trust the former Anambra State governor and therefore remained reluctant to support a political platform associated with him.
Ayuba also downplayed Kwankwaso’s political influence, expressing doubts about the former Kano State governor’s ability to mobilise substantial northern support for the NDC ticket. He further contended that Obi’s “open support for the Indigenous People of Biafra” had become a major political liability, which he said continued to fuel suspicion and resistance among some northern voters.
According to Ayuba, these perceptions have made it difficult for the party to gain traction in the region, despite efforts by its leaders to expand their political reach and attract broader national support ahead of the next presidential election.
He said, “Obi and Kwankwaso are known in the North, just like Tinubu and Atiku are known. But politics is different from victory. Obi and Kwankwaso are not accepted in the North in a way that would make one think they will win the 2027 election. In fact, they cannot come close to that.
“A stigma has been trailing Obi’s candidature before his declaration in 2023. He can never be accepted in the North because of two factors. One is that he has openly shown that he is an IPOB sympathiser. Obi had, in several interviews, tried to condemn the Supreme Court judgment on the proscription of IPOB and its designation as a terrorist organisation.”
Ayuba rejected suggestions that northerners were sympathetic to terrorism, arguing that such portrayals were unfair and inaccurate. He maintained that no reasonable northerner or authority had ever expressed support for Boko Haram leaders such as Muhammad Yusuf or Abubakar Shekau.
He further stated that unless Peter Obi provided a convincing explanation regarding his stance on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the North would not accept his presidential candidature. According to him, concerns surrounding the issue remained a major obstacle to Obi’s acceptance among northern voters.
Ayuba, however, insisted that his views were not based on religious, ethnic or regional considerations. He argued that the issue was one of justice, maintaining that elections could not be won solely on the basis of ethnic or tribal affiliations.
He also claimed that the 2023 election had taken on the character of a religious contest and said many northerners were beginning to fear that Obi harboured an agenda against the northern population. He added that neither Rabiu Kwankwaso nor any other political figure could make Obi acceptable to many voters in Northern Nigeria, describing this as a political reality.
