A POST claiming that Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), is planning to leave his political coalition has surfaced on social media.
A verified X user, @OfficialAzzaki, shared an image showing Obi embracing former vice president Atiku Abubakar and the presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), accompanied by the caption:
“Peter Obi is reportedly planning to leave the NDC. 🔥”
As of 18 September 2026, the post has generated over 100,000 views, 320 likes and 150 comments.
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CLAIM
Peter Obi is planning to leave his political coalition.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
The FactCheckHub conducted a reverse image search of the photograph attached to the viral post. The search showed that the image is an old file photograph of Obi and Abubakar.
The photograph was originally published by Punch on 13 October 2018, in a report on Abubakar’s selection of Obi as his running mate on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket for the 2019 election.
Further checks by The FactCheckHub found no reports from official media outlets, credible national dailies or major broadcast platforms confirming that Obi has announced plans to leave or defect from his current political alignment.
Meanwhile, a review of public records and recent media reports found that Obi continues to grant interviews, issue public statements and participate in political engagements.
READ ALSO: Old Peter Obi video resurfaced with misleading claim he defended ‘Yahoo boys’
The FactCheckHub contacted Obi’s spokesperson for a response to the claim but had not received a reply at the time of publication.
VERDICT
The claim that Peter Obi is planning to leave his political coalition is FALSE. The image used to support the post is an old file photograph from October 2018, and there is no official statement or credible media report supporting the claim.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
