Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has indicated he will likely not join a broad opposition coalition aimed at challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Speaking to young supporters in a video circulated on the LP’s WhatsApp platform on Saturday, Obi declared his intention to contest the 2027 general election on the Labour Party’s platform.
“I will still continue to run in the Labour Party. I’m a member of the Labour Party,” Obi stated when asked about his preferred platform for the 2027 elections.
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He further asserted that the perceived internal crises within the two dominant opposition parties, the LP and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are actually the handiwork of the federal government.
“What is happening in the Labour Party and the PDP is caused by the government. Quote me anywhere,” Obi claimed.
He recounted a past experience during Umar Yar’Adua’s presidency where political party issues were resolved with government intervention, contrasting it with the current situation: “But today, in all the parties, there are problems. These are deliberate problems caused by the system. These are some of the things I want to clean up if I have the opportunity. Parties will function very well because you can’t have a system working without a strong opposition.”
Obi urged Nigerians to take responsibility for ensuring their votes count, emphasizing that while political parties may pay agents to protect their interests, the ultimate decision on vote integrity rests with the voters.
He also encouraged Nigerian youths and the electorate not to be discouraged, noting that positive change will always face resistance from those who benefit from the old order.
The former Anambra State governor also suggested that there should be a retirement age for politicians seeking public office.
He mentioned that by the time the 2027 election occurs, he would be 65 years old, and expressed a desire not to be contesting elections in his 70s.
Obi’s comments emerge amid reports of a potential opposition coalition that could include figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
This proposed coalition was reportedly considering the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform for the 2027 elections.
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