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Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has explained why he cannot unilaterally step down for African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi made the remarks on Thursday during an interview on Arise Television, where he addressed questions about a possible opposition alliance and calls for one of the two leading opposition figures to withdraw in favour of the other.
Responding to a direct question on whether he would be willing to step down for the former Vice President, Obi said the current stage of the political process had moved beyond individual decisions.
“Do you know where we are now? Where we are now is that I’m a candidate, my leader Atiku is a candidate of another party, so you are talking about two parties coming together; it’s no longer me or him as you are now talking about parties coming together,” he said.
“All those parties have candidates, so it’s no longer me as Peter talking. It’s like a situation where you have two corporations coming together; it’s no longer two CEOs going for a drink and saying we are going to work together. It’s not me saying I don’t want to be this or that; no, we have passed that stage.”
Obi, who ran as the Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023 and previously served as Atiku’s running mate on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket in 2019, stressed that any discussion about a merger or consensus candidacy would now have to involve the political parties rather than the candidates alone.
He also dismissed reports suggesting he had rejected an offer to become Atiku’s vice-presidential candidate. “Who said so? Where? I wasn’t even in any party where that offer was on the table. I wasn’t even in a position where it was being offered and I refused,” Obi stated.
The comments come amid ongoing efforts by opposition groups, including the G-100 coalition, to forge a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Both Obi and Atiku remain the flagbearers of their respective parties, and neither has indicated readiness to withdraw from the race.
Obi’s position underscores the challenges facing opposition unity as Nigeria moves closer to the next general elections, with multiple parties and candidates still competing for space in the political landscape.
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