Former spokesperson for Peter Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign, Ndi Kato, has launched a scathing attack on the former Labour Party presidential candidate, declaring that those who worked closely with him had witnessed what she described as a huge leadership deficit.
Kato’s criticism followed the defection of Yunusa Tanko, former National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide and one of Obi’s most prominent campaign associates, to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he has been appointed National Coordinator and Director-General of the presidential campaign council of Adewole Adebayo ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Reacting to Tanko’s departure on Wednesday, Kato argued that the growing number of former campaign insiders distancing themselves from Obi raised serious questions about his leadership capacity.
In a post on X, the former Obi-Datti campaign spokesperson wrote: “All spokespersons gone. This is the last of them. Everyone who has come close to this fellow has seen a HUGE LEADERSHIP DEFICIT!!! Yet they are being called names while his cult, who are mostly knowingly pursuing an expansionist agenda, are here lying to you.
“It is the naive ones I pity.
“Anyway, you people cannot win elections. Manipulate all you want. You will lose woefully!”
In another post, she questioned what the departure of those who marketed Obi’s candidacy during the 2023 presidential election said about his political leadership.
“All spokespersons out. The people who sold the message last time have all said never again. What does that tell you?” she asked.
Kato also dismissed suggestions by some Obidient supporters that former allies criticising Obi were political moles planted by President Bola Tinubu’s camp to destabilise the opposition.
She sarcastically referenced allegations that she was supporting Tinubu to infiltrate the APC’s youth mobilisation structure, adding that she would be part of the political victory celebrations scheduled for January 16–18, 2027.
In further posts, Kato accused Obi and some of his supporters of manipulation and intolerance towards criticism, alleging that dissenting voices were routinely branded tribal bigots.
Her comments have added to the growing controversy surrounding the political future of Obi and the cohesion of the movement that propelled his 2023 presidential campaign.
Former campaign heavyweights abandon Obi
Tanko’s departure is the latest in a series of high-profile exits involving individuals who played significant roles in Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign and the Obidient Movement.
The Labour Party’s 1,234-member Presidential Campaign Organisation, unveiled ahead of the 2023 elections, featured several prominent political figures and public personalities tasked with selling the Obi-Datti ticket to Nigerians.
Among the official campaign spokespersons were Tanko, Ndi Kato, Kenneth Okonkwo, Nana Kazaure, Ime Ufot and Dele Fatorimi.
However, several members of that team have since abandoned the former Anambra State governor, with some openly questioning his leadership style, political judgment and approach to party management.
Kenneth Okonkwo, a Nollywood actor and former campaign spokesperson, announced his departure from the Labour Party and his political separation from Obi in July 2024.
Okonkwo subsequently accused Obi of lacking the decisiveness and courage required for effective leadership, particularly over the prolonged leadership crisis within the Labour Party.
He later aligned with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and joined the communications team of his 2027 presidential campaign under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Doyin Okupe, who served as Director-General of the Obi-Datti campaign, also withdrew his support for Obi after the 2023 election.
Okupe, who died in 2025, had declared in November 2024 that he would not support Obi’s subsequent presidential ambition, explaining that his decision to back him in 2023 was largely motivated by the desire to ensure power shifted to the South.
He subsequently became a supporter of Tinubu’s administration and publicly defended its policies.
Obi’s former running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has also stopped short of endorsing his former principal for the 2027 presidential election.
Following reports of Obi’s movement to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Baba-Ahmed was reported to have joined the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) in May 2026.
He later declared that he would not endorse Obi, Atiku or Tinubu for the 2027 election, arguing that none of the three politicians could deliver the transformation he desired under the existing political system.
Although he maintained that his personal relationship with Obi remained cordial, he declined to publicly support his former running mate’s presidential ambition.
Another prominent figure, Serah Ibrahim, who gained prominence as a grassroots mobiliser and digital campaigner for the Obidient Movement in 2023, has also moved her political support elsewhere.
In November 2026, Ibrahim aligned with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who is pursuing a presidential ambition under the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). She has since joined the team working on Makinde’s Reset Agenda manifesto and publicly endorsed his aspiration.
Tanko’s defection to the SDP further complicates Obi’s political calculations as the 2027 election approaches.
He was formally unveiled on Wednesday, November 11, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja as National Coordinator and Director-General of Adewole Adebayo’s presidential campaign council.
The successive departures have exposed growing divisions within the political network that rallied behind Obi in 2023, raising fresh questions about whether he can rebuild the broad-based coalition that made him one of the most prominent contenders in that election.