Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has stated he will not personally step down for Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election, asserting that any opposition alliance must now be negotiated at the level of political parties rather than between the two individuals.
Obi made these remarks during an interview with Arise Television aired on Thursday, September 10, where he addressed the 2027 election, the economy, national unity, and security.
Obi reframes the step-down question
Asked directly whether he would make way for Atiku, Obi said the framing of the question no longer applied to the current political situation. "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 me, as you are now talking about parties coming together," he said.
He compared any potential arrangement to a corporate merger, saying: "It is like a situation where two corporations are trying to come together. It is no longer something where the two CEOs go for a drink and say, 'We are going to work together'. They need to look at how to bring these two corporations together."
Obi and Atiku were both part of a 2025 opposition coalition that adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform. The coalition did not produce a joint presidential ticket. Atiku emerged as the ADC candidate, while Obi was ratified as the NDC's presidential candidate on May 29, 2026. The two men previously ran together on the Peoples Democratic Party ticket in the 2019 election, before their paths split ahead of 2023.
Obi denies VP offer rejection
Obi also denied ever rejecting an offer to serve as Atiku's running mate. "I don't know where that was said. I wasn't even in a position where that was being offered, and I refused," he said.
When asked to name one policy of the Tinubu administration he would retain, Obi identified the floating of the naira. "There's one – the floating of the Naira. I'm not going to defend it. But I'm going to put productivity to make it more valuable to the people," he said. He argued that a stronger productive base, not currency controls, was the answer to improving the naira's value.
Obi calls for domestic presidential holidays
Obi also called for Nigerian presidents to stop taking holidays abroad, saying the country's leader should instead visit states dealing with insecurity and poverty. "Nigeria's President must spend his vacation in Nigeria. We cannot continue with this nonsense. Nigeria's President should go to Zamfara, to Borno, to Anambra, to anywhere. As President of Nigeria, I will visit other countries, but I will not take my holidays there," he said.
He further warned against allowing ethnicity to shape the 2027 vote, saying: "Our election should not be driven by tribalism."
Previously, Legit.ng reported that Obi said on Thursday, September 10, that he would not spend his holidays abroad if elected president, pledging instead to remain in Nigeria and promote domestic tourism. Speaking in a live interview on Arise News, Obi laid out campaign priorities covering electoral integrity, insecurity, and the conduct of leadership.
