Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has stated that any coalition among opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections must be driven by the parties themselves, not by individual candidates negotiating behind closed doors.
Obi made this clear during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, weeks after opposition parties gathered at a summit in Abuja on August 31 under the G-100 platform to discuss a possible alliance. Little had been heard from the key figures since that meeting.
Obi on Coalition and the VP Slot
When asked whether he would step aside for Atiku Abubakar or accept a vice-presidential role as part of a potential alliance, Obi said the conversation had moved beyond personal decisions. "I'm a candidate, yes. My leader, Atiku, is a candidate of another party and I am a candidate for another party," he said. "So, you are talking about two parties coming together; it is no longer him or me."
He compared the prospect of a political merger to a corporate acquisition, arguing that party leaderships on both sides must structure any formal agreement rather than leaving it to the two leading contenders. He added that any credible coalition must be built around good governance, national security, job creation and economic productivity rather than the sharing of offices.
Obi also moved to put to rest reports that he turned down an offer to serve as Atiku's running mate under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). "I don't know where that was said. I wasn't even in a position where that was being offered, and I refused," he told the interviewer. The two men previously worked together under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019, when Obi served as Atiku's vice-presidential candidate, before both separately contested the 2023 presidential election.
Kwankwaso Calls on Atiku to Step Down
In a separate development, NDC vice-presidential candidate Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso urged Atiku to withdraw from the 2027 race altogether. Speaking on Thursday while receiving members of the Fulani Farmers Association at his Abuja residence, Kwankwaso said Atiku should focus on his traditional role as Wazirin Adamawa. "Go to the Wazirin of Adamawa's house and tell him in Fulfulde that he needs to focus on his traditional title, given his age and health. If Allah grants us success, we will take good care of him. An apology should be offered to him," Kwankwaso told the group.
Atiku, who will turn 80 in 2027, acknowledged in April that the election could be his final attempt at the presidency. He has contested under multiple parties since the 1990s, most recently losing to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress in 2023.
Obi Attacks Tinubu's Economic Record
Obi also used the interview to criticise the Tinubu administration's handling of funds freed up by the removal of the petrol subsidy. "What we are having today is that we have impoverished ourselves because we removed subsidy and no gain is seen. Because the money we say we have borrowed, we borrowed more," he said.
He argued that the savings should have gone into agriculture, small and medium-sized enterprises, and education rather than what he described as luxury spending. He pointed out that building 25 cancer treatment centres nationwide would cost roughly N100 billion, a fraction of the subsidy savings. Obi pledged to freeze non-essential capital projects and focus government spending on roads, schools and health facilities if elected, and promised to complete a single four-year term.
