NDC House of Representatives candidate Maxwell Opara says Peter Obi now enjoys stronger support across Nigeria than he did during the 2023 presidential election, as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 contest.
A candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency in the 2027 House of Representatives election, Dr Maxwell Opara, has claimed that Peter Obi’s political support has expanded significantly since the 2023 presidential election.
Opara made the claim during an interview on Arise Television’s News Day, while discussing the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Peter Obi is ahead of APC in everything. Nigeria is much ready to vote for Obi than ever,” Opara said.
He argued that Nigerians who supported Obi during the 2023 presidential election have largely remained committed to his political movement, while suggesting that the former Anambra State governor has attracted additional support since then.
According to Opara, the level of support Obi received in 2023 would be comparatively small if measured against what he believes the NDC presidential candidate now commands.
The comments are, however, a political claim rather than an independently established measurement of current voter support. No nationwide voting survey was cited in the interview to substantiate the assertion.
Obi finished third in the 2023 presidential election, according to the official result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), winning 6,101,533 votes. Bola Tinubu was declared the winner with 8,794,726 votes, while Atiku Abubakar recorded 6,984,520 votes.
The 2027 political landscape is substantially different from that of 2023. Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso are now running on the NDC platform, while Atiku Abubakar is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Political parties have also begun organising their campaign structures and mobilising candidates across the country.
Opara is himself seeking election to the House of Representatives under the NDC in Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise. He has previously defended Obi publicly in disputes involving the NDC and opposition figures. In June, he was among NDC legal advocates who demanded that former party member Kenneth Okonkwo retract allegations made against Obi.
The latest claim comes as the NDC seeks to convert Obi and Kwankwaso’s national political profiles into a broader electoral organisation ahead of the 2027 election.
Whether Obi’s support has actually increased since 2023 will ultimately depend on measurable evidence, including credible opinion polling, voter-registration patterns, campaign attendance, constituency-level support and, eventually, votes cast at the election.