Former National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, has explained why he parted ways with Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election, alleging that people within the former Anambra State governor’s political camp no longer wanted him.
Tanko, who recently joined the Social Democratic Party presidential campaign, said he decided to leave because he could no longer remain in an environment where he felt tolerated rather than appreciated.
Speaking in an interview with Symfoni TV, Tanko maintained that he had no personal disagreement with Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
He, however, suggested that some individuals within Obi’s political circle had made him feel unwanted.
“The group did not want me. You don’t stay where you’re being tolerated. You go to where you’re being appreciated,” he said.
“I respect Peter Obi, but since they don’t want me, people who want me picked me up from the dustbin and made me a bride. That’s what happened.”
His comments came barely a day after he was unveiled as the National Coordinator of the SDP Presidential Campaign Council, where he will coordinate the 2027 presidential campaign of Prince Adewole Adebayo.
Tanko resigned as Obi’s Political Adviser for Northern Nigeria on October 30, 2026, before accepting his new appointment.
The former Obidient Movement coordinator, who played a prominent role in Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign, said he informed both the former Anambra State governor and NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, of his decision.
Tanko also said his association with Adebayo was not a recent development, describing their relationship as one that dated back to 2023.
“This is not a mistake in history. When you go back into history, you will see my warm relationship with him way back in 2023. So this is a relationship that has long been built,” he said.
Tanko served as Obi’s campaign spokesman and media director during the 2023 presidential election, when the former Anambra State governor contested on the platform of the Labour Party.
In September 2024, he was appointed National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, a position he held until October 2026, when he was reassigned as Obi’s Political Adviser for Northern Nigeria.
His subsequent resignation and appointment to the SDP campaign council have attracted attention because of his longstanding association with Obi and the political movement that supported his previous presidential bid.
Post Title: “People Who Wanted Me Picked Me Up From The Dustbin And Made Me A Bride” — Tanko On Joining Adewole Adebayo’s Campaign By Naijaonpoint.