More than 10 million Nigerians joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress within 24 hours of Peter Obi’s defection to the party, the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has claimed.
Dr Adefolaseye Adebayo, South West coordinator of the group, disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. She said the surge in registration shows Obi’s nationwide support base remains strong.
“First of all, I’ll like to say that Mr Obi has a lot of followership in various parts of Nigeria and in the six geopolitical zones,” Adebayo said.
“You cannot say that the chances of Mr Peter Obi or the chances of the Southeast has reduced drastically. In fact, I will put it to you, just within 24 hours of Mr Peter Obi joining the NDC, over 10 million Nigerians registered with the party,” she added.
Adebayo argued that the spike reflects Obi’s continued political strength, particularly in the Southeast and other regions. She also said Obi has the capacity to lead Nigeria and contest against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Addressing recent defections, Adebayo said several politicians who initially joined the African Democratic Congress have now moved to the NDC. She attributed the shift to Obi’s perceived electability.
“That says a lot, obviously there’s something we are not getting, what is strategy? If I am a weak person and I see a stronger person who can lead me to where I want to be, I will follow the stronger person,” she said.
“There’s this saying that those who cannot win elections are following Mr Peter Obi to enter a new party. Now, let me tell you, many of these ADC members defected into NDC within a space of 24 hours meaning they know that the person who has the capacity to win the next election is there,” Adebayo added.
