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The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has explained why he cannot step down for the presidential flagbearer of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television aired on Thursday, the former Anambra State governor stated that decisions regarding political alliances and candidate adjustments now rest strictly with the political parties involved rather than individual politicians.
Addressing questions on whether he would consider stepping down for his former political ally, Obi said, “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.”
Emphasizing the organizational reality of party politics, he added, “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.”
The explanation follows persistent political reports and public calls urging Obi to team up with the former Vice President for the 2027 presidential race, following their joint presidential ticket under the Peoples Democratic Party platform in 2019.
Rebutting ongoing claims that he previously declined an offer to serve as Atiku’s running mate for the upcoming election, Obi described those reports as inaccurate misrepresentations of the facts.
Clarifying his stance on the matter, the NDC presidential candidate stated, “My statement was unequivocal, and I am genuinely surprised by the misrepresentation of my words. For the avoidance of doubt, I never stated at any time that I would be vice president to anyone and it’s unequivocal.”
He further maintained that no formal running mate offer was ever presented to him under any political umbrella, stating, “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.”
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