Senator Victor Umeh is the lawmaker representing Anambra Central in the upper chamber of the National Assembly. In this interview, he speaks about the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the party that has the capacity to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) if it is able to present a candidate that will be acceptable to Nigerians, why a consensus primary will be a better option for the coalition party. He also explains why he left the Labour Party, among others. JOY ANIGBOGU brings the excerpts:

People have been wondering why you left the Labour Party, is it about Peter Obi?

I was not in the same political camp with Mr. Peter for nearly 10 years. It wasn’t as if we had very deep-seated personal problems. Peter Obi is my brother and his political journey started with me in 2001. And together we were able to go through the murky waters of politics, got him elected to become governor of Anambra State through the APGA that I was a co-founder and a serious stakeholder. In 2003, we had to go through litigations till 2006 before he became governor. And again, there were challenges between that time. He was impeached and he returned. We supported him and we were able to get re-elected for a second time together.

In politics, like it happens in every clime, once somebody imagines a leader with power, executive power, people who are not involved in the process will come around and try to create confusion between those who really worked for that power to be achieved. And along the line, there will be distortions, sometimes to disagree on policies. So, it’s normal because we’re human, we reflect over these things and try to bury the hatchets. In 2022, we came back together on his invitation that I should join him in the Labour Party. At that time, I was done with APGA because the people in charge of APGA that I built over time blocked me from getting the ticket to go to the Senate. And Mr. Peter Obi had to call me because he knew there was nothing personal between the two of us. And asked me to join him in the Labour Party to be part of the new movement. I reflected over it and he convinced me to join. I joined him. And ever since then, of course, we have become better than we were in 2001. And we’re working together towards the same purpose. So, in terms of what you said people are criticising, moving from one party to the other. Well, in politics, people will want to pursue their dreams. When he was governor for eight years with APGA, he did exceedingly well. And at the end of his tenure, maybe he had his eyes on national politics. You know, APGA has remained, as it often is today, a one-state party in terms of influence, Anambra State. We did it to be so, myself and Mr. Peter Obi. So, he had interest in national politics and he was very close to then-President Goodluck Jonathan. So, he had to move to support Jonathan for presidency. And it was the right thing to do, to go over there, instead of staying in APGA and talking about another political party like some people do today. So, he went to PDP to support President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term. And he has remained there until 2022. When, for some reasons and disagreements in the policies of the PDP, in terms of zoning of the presidency, he had to leave. When we felt that the situation there was not justifiable, he had to go to the Labour Party and from there he called people like us to come and join. This movement that we’ve made to the ADC on 31st of December is completely a child of necessity. One was to ensure that Nigeria doesn’t drift into a one-party state. And secondly, the Labour Party where all of us operated had been hijacked. And the leadership of the Labour Party had become an enemy of the party itself. So, to continue in a party where somebody outside is pulling the strings became very unbearable. We tried to resist that. We tried to create a caretaker, particularly when their tenure had elapsed due to a fluctuation of time. And instead of giving way, they tried to put themselves on the party. That disagreement brought the opponents of the party behind Julius Abure. To become chairman against the will of the party, against even INEC decision that his tenure has elapsed. The matter had to go to court. We put a caretaker committee, which INEC didn’t deal with. And along the line, the courts of the land, the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court, ordered that INEC should stop dealing with Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party. But INEC was prevaricated because Abure had run to powerful people to sustain him against the interests of the rightful spectrum of the party members because the target was to stop Peter Obi from flying the ticket of the Labour Party. We tried to cure the defect in the party, set up a caretaker committee. INEC didn’t want to deal with them. Even with the Supreme Court judgment of 4th of April, 2025, ordering INEC not to deal with Abure. I don’t know how to describe what he did. He went to hang himself around those who can sustain him with influence and authority and power. So, from there, somebody the Supreme Court has said shouldn’t be recognized as leader of the Labour Party by INEC, he continued till when we came together and decided that there was no point staying there anymore. For myself, I never recognised Abure as chairman of the Labour Party from the beginning when his tenure elapsed and he refused to do the rightful thing. And then when the Supreme Court gave the judgment on the 4th of April, he continued. I’m a lawful person and I know the weight of the Supreme Court’s pronouncement. So, I decided not to have anything to do with them. So, from that time till the day we left, I had nothing to do with the Labour Party officially. To show you why the movement became necessary, immediately Peter Obi left the Labour Party on the 31st of December 2025. INEC has now somersaulted again and reverted to a situation where they announced that Abure’s tenure had expired.

You’ve moved with former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, are you confident that with the kind of politics that the people we know in that party can play, can Peter Obi survive that onslaught? Because he’s tried it before, he couldn’t face it and he had to leave the party to the Labour Party. Do you think he can get the ticket of the ADC, to be very fair?

Well, a lot has happened over time, and before I go there, let me also correct the impression that only members of the Labour Party moved with Peter Obi to the ADC. The Southeast political leaders of various political affiliations came together to look at the situation and decided to move to the ADC. We have Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe from APGA, he moved with us. We have Emeka Ihedioha and Achike Udenwa, Senator Sam Egwu, all of them were of the PDP. So. all the active political players in the PDP, in the Southeast, decided to come together with all other people to move to ADC. So, it wasn’t just a section of the Labour Party going to the ADC. All of us are from different political parties. So having said that, on the issue of whether Peter Obi stands a chance to become the presidential candidate of ADC, instead of becoming vice-presidential candidate, I’ll tell you that such question doesn’t arise, because it is for those who are saying that it’s only a particular person that can become the presidential candidate of ADC. Those are the people that should be questioned.

In a democracy, what you should be thinking about is what the people want. What will make ADC succeed in that election? Not who wants to fly its ticket. Somebody may be in a position to get the ticket and fail the election for many other extraneous reasons. So, if ADC is going to this election with the colouration of forces that are coming to it to bring the party into place, what they should be talking about will be how to defeat the ruling party, which is a very strong behemoth now in Nigeria, a party that has many governors already defected to its fold. The National Assembly has almost been depleted. The opposition parties have been depleted to almost nothing. Everybody has moved to the APC. And you form a coalition of political parties and other forces to go and challenge this party. What you should be looking at will be what you should do to capitalize on the missteps of the ruling party that is large in size, in resources and everything. I don’t think it’s an adventure for you to go without looking at those who want to fly your flag as presidential candidates. It’s not just to get the ticket. Are you going to win the election? Are the Nigerian public going to follow you? Are the situations on ground favourable to you? Even though people say there is no sentiment in politics, Nigerians are wise enough to make decisions that are very proper in line with the prevailing circumstances. So, I don’t believe that somebody cannot be defeated in a primary or in any process. So, it’s left for the party to find a way to strategize and come up with a candidate that can stand this election and win it. Somebody who the Nigerian public will accept as a candidate to be a very credible alternative to the ruling party. If you are not able to do a self-search inside the ADC to find somebody who the Nigerian public will follow, Nigerian public will trust, Nigerian public will believe and support the person to be a candidate, then you are not in the election. Because it’s either you obey the citizens in their quest and search for a credible alternative to the ruling party or you don’t go to the election at all. It’s all about bringing people together and then you make noise and suddenly you lose your senses to take a flight of view and then you go and present a candidate that the Nigerian public will not trust, they will not believe, they will not vote for. Then you go and say APC must go. APC must not go unless you have a candidate that Nigerian people can follow.

Are you certainly canvassing support for Mr. Peter Obi, who by the way has said with certainty that he will be on the ballot in 2027. On the other hand, another party bigwig in the ADC, now that’s a traditional runner for the office of the president, is Mr. Atiku Abubakar, who says no aspirant will step down for the other during the primaries. Now, I’ve also asked Mr. Peter Obi’s aide, Alhaji Tanko, who said that if Mr. Peter Obi doesn’t win the primary ticket ahead of 2027 that he will abide by party rules. So, what’s the game plan if Mr. Peter Obi doesn’t win the presidential primary ticket for the ADC in 2027? Is he going to defect yet again?

Well, I think you came to the conclusion by yourself that I was making a case for Mr. Peter Obi. I was only laying out the conditions and the situation that will have to prevail if the ADC wants to win the election.

If by the criteria I have set out, you think that it fits Mr. Peter Obi, then so be it. But I want to tell you that in politics, you don’t joke. And there are things you don’t even say.

Because what should be driving what you say will be what will make your party succeed. In ADC today, we have so many strong politicians and gladiators operating inside it. You have Nasir El-rufai, you have Rotimi Amaechi, you have Atiku Abubakar, you have Peter Obi. All these people are known to Nigerians over time. And if I tell you about winning an election, I think winning an election is the only thing that will make a party succeed and survive. If you don’t do your calculations well, and you hope to go and defeat the ruling party considering its strength, you’ll be wasting your time.

And we have to listen to the people. So, I won’t step down, or this person will not be here, this one will not be here, will not be the language. I think what will happen is that the ADC should set up a strategic team that will be able to call everybody together, irrespective of what you are looking for.

You have to go into a room and lock yourselves up and decide whether we are going to challenge APC. If we’re going to challenge APC in this coming election, who has the chance to win the election in accordance with public acceptance and opinion? If you do it critically, dispassionately, and you are able to come up with one candidate that can do it, then you go out and match the APC strength for strength, because the people remain the strength, the voters, not the number of governors you have. When the ADC makes a tragic error of not paying attention on how they can take steps to win the election against the APC, it will be a conglomeration of people that have no mission.

And having said this, I will tell you that ADC has a chance to follow different options in arriving at their candidates. One, they can do consensus building. When the consensus fails, and you go to the issue of a primary for voting, for ADC to win this election, the best option for them is to go in among themselves and attempt a consensus first.

If they are able to achieve it, which is possible, it is possible that within the time allowed, still available, everybody will be discussed with, people will come to terms with the reality, and egos will be massaged here and there, and you put the mission ahead of you. What is the mission? The mission is, how can the ADC defeat the APC? If they cannot answer that question, and they go their different ways and drag everybody into the field to fight for who has the biggest money to spend to buy delegates and emerge the candidate of the party, when that happens, the APC will be in a stronger position.

If that is adopted in ADC which aspirant will you be supporting?

Of course, there will be consultation. I’m like any other Nigerian. I see what is happening in Nigeria. As soon as I finished what I was saying, you said, I’m supporting Peter Obi. That is your own conclusion. Maybe because of the criteria I laid out. And that criteria that I laid out, the major component of it is the ability of whoever ADC presents to be accepted by the Nigerian voters. The voters are the deciders of this, not actually the party.

If the party is not able to present the candidate, the voters will accept. They have lost the election. So that is what will make everybody come in with level-headedness and the dispassionate assessment of the situation.

The task at hand, what do we do? What do we do to win? If you answer that correctly and in affirmative, then you stand a chance of coming out to campaign. If you are not able to do that, like what they did in 2023, the issue of who emerged the candidate, destroyed the PDP. You have seen it.

And those who could not agree, for some reason, that power should rotate between North and South, said they are fighting, even when Wike said so, that he didn’t accept that somebody from the North should be the presidential candidate of PDP at that time, because Buhari had been there for eight years, that reasoning is justified. He can fight because of that.

So, some of these things will play back when you want to go to the election. It’s not about what you want or your desire. There are so many things that will play in the choice of who becomes the candidate of a party that can win the election.

(Daily Independent)