Former National Legal Adviser to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jacob Mark, has stated that the coalition opposition, which operates under the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), would never give its presidential ticket to Peter Obi.

He made the claim while responding to claims by the publicity secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, that Obi would do himself more harm than good by returning to the PDP.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News, Mark described Abdullahi as a man who jumps from one political party to another in search of appointment and where to grab power.

He argued that Peter Obi would only be deceiving himself if he thought the opposition coalition meant well for him.

Mark said, “He [Bolaji] was a minister. He did this and that on different platforms. So these are the kind of politicians I don’t really bother myself about, because they are seekers of office, they are not ideal people who should determine political discussion.

“Their major brand, or their major concern, is how to grab power and get to office. I don’t have a lot of respect for them, but that is their style. Maybe Nigeria makes it possible for people to jump.

“They are here in the morning, by evening, tomorrow, they are somewhere else, depending on where they think the attractions will be. I don’t believe that transactional politicians should have the right to determine where people go or what people do.

“Peter Obi is a mature politician who knows exactly what he’s carrying if he wants to go and join the ADC; that’s his business.

“Some people close to me are very close to Peter Obi, but I know that some have seen that the ADC will never give its ticket to Peter Obi, because they have their own agenda, and it will unveil itself very soon.

“Peter Obi can only deceive himself if he thinks that these people mean well for him. We know some of them. We know what they are doing. We know exactly the game plan they have on ground, even for Peter Obi but he can walk by and try it.

“We are not the ones that will say he should not try his hand on anything. But certainly, this coalition, the way it is, is not his baby, and he doesn’t have a say as to how the baby is going to be born.

“He’s just a participant, and they need him for legitimacy. Take down Peter Obi from ADC, who will look at them, who will even discuss ADC, if Peter Obi is out.

“So when people come out to say that the jugular of the PDP is in somebody’s hands after they have gone out of the stadium, how do they know what is going on inside the stadium?

“You are not a player in the team. You don’t know what is happening within the ranks of the PDP, but you stand outside and you want to run commentary on what is going on with the PDP.

“Nobody should take them seriously. They are ready to banter wars with those who have time for them. Some of us are more engaged in constructive, very deep discussions and thinking about the future of Nigeria.”