The defection of Dr Yunusa Tanko, former National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has brought renewed attention to the growing list of prominent political figures who once worked closely with Peter Obi but have since moved away from his political camp.
Tanko, who played a major role in Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign, recently accepted an appointment as Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council of the SDP presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo.
His new political role has triggered fresh discussions about Obi’s political relationships and the people who helped drive his 2023 campaign but are no longer actively aligned with him ahead of the 2027 general election.
Among those who have parted ways with Obi or publicly disagreed with aspects of his political direction are his former running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed; former campaign Director-General, Doyin Okupe; actor and lawyer, Kenneth Okonkwo; former Anambra governorship candidate, Valentine Ozigbo; and former Deputy Campaign Manager, Isaac Balami.
Among those who have parted ways with Obi or publicly disagreed with aspects of his political direction are his former running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed; former campaign Director-General, Doyin Okupe; actor and lawyer, Kenneth Okonkwo; former Anambra governorship candidate, Valentine Ozigbo; and former Deputy Campaign Manager, Isaac Balami.
Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed
Datti Baba-Ahmed was Obi’s running mate on the Labour Party ticket during the 2023 presidential election.
The former senator played a prominent role in the campaign, but he has since publicly expressed disagreements with aspects of Obi’s political direction.
Doyin Okupe
Okupe served as Director-General of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation during the 2023 election.
However, he later left the Labour Party and publicly differed with Obi over his political choices, marking a change in the relationship between the two men.
Kenneth Okonkwo
Actor and lawyer Kenneth Okonkwo was one of the prominent voices supporting Obi during the 2023 campaign.
He served as a campaign spokesperson but eventually parted ways with the former Anambra governor and became a vocal critic of his political strategy.
Valentine Ozigbo
Ozigbo, a former governorship candidate in Anambra State, was also associated with Obi’s political camp.
The businessman and politician moved away from Obi’s camp in 2025, adding to the list of former allies whose political paths have since changed.
Isaac Balami
Balami served as Deputy Campaign Manager of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Organisation in 2023.
He subsequently aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC), moving away from the political platform through which he had worked for Obi’s presidential ambition.
With Tanko now taking up a major role in Adebayo’s SDP campaign, attention has once again turned to the political figures who helped build Obi’s 2023 movement and where they now stand as the 2027 election approaches.
