The furore that greeted Sunday’s exit of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is yet to abate.

The ADC said their departure would not affect the party’s fortunes.

National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said the duo’s exit, though a setback, was not a “mortal blow” and would not threaten the party’s broader objective ahead of the 2027 elections.

He also admitted that the coalition’s intention of presenting a single opposition candidate to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027 had been affected.

Obi and Kwankwaso, who were presidential candidates in 2023, left the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) two days ago.

Abdullahi, who spoke on Arise Television last night, shed light on why the two politicians jumped ship, saying their departure was premeditated.

He said Obi, who was not ready to join hands in building the party, was only seeking a special purpose vehicle (SPV) he could use to contest for president in 2027.

“At the moment, we have only three cases, and these three cases, without trying to be prejudicial, are all flimsy cases.”

The cases, as listed by the publicity secretary, are the leadership dispute referred back to the Federal High Court, a suit seeking the party’s deregistration, and another challenging the internal congresses.

Abdullahi also rejected claims that ADC’s internal arrangements favoured certain aspirants, clarifying that no individual had been given undue advantage.

He said: “I can tell you that none of the aspirants has been favoured by the party the way His Excellency Peter Obi has been favoured. Which office is the heart of the operation of the party? The organising secretary is Peter Obi’s man.”

The spokesman said Obi’s concerns about fairness were not grounded in fact, adding that the former governor had ample time to assess the party before joining.

He queried: “It took almost six months before he made up his mind to join the ADC in December. Does it mean that before he joined, he didn’t see that it was an Atiku party?”

Abdullahi pointed out that Obi’s exit may have been premeditated, alleging prior political consultations outside the party.

“I think it’s premeditated. It didn’t just happen last Saturday,” he said, referring to meetings involving Dickson, Obi and Kwankwaso in the months leading to the exit.

Abdullahi said despite the defections, the ADC would remain committed to building a viable opposition platform.

Ruling out hostility toward the defectors, he said: “We don’t think they are our enemies. We are not going to go into a dogfight with them.”

Acknowledging the implications of their departure, Abdullahi described it as a manageable setback.

He said: “Is it a setback? The answer is yes. Is it a fatal blow? The answer is no, because the objectives are very clear. They are still the same.”

Abdullahi added that the exit would allow the party to refocus on its internal processes without external pressure.

Noting that the defections were significant, Abdullahi insisted they were not fatal to the party’s ambition.

He said: “I will be lying to say it didn’t mean anything. No, these are two significant politicians, frontline politicians in this country. When you lose those two politicians, then you feel that you’ve lost something. But it’s not a mortal blow.”

Abdullahi rejected Obi’s claim that internal legal disputes influenced his decision, saying the explanation was untenable.

He said: “I will refer to the statements released by His Excellency Peter Obi as the only credible evidence that I have of why they left.

“One, he said the party was beleaguered by legal challenges, which is true.