2027: I am still open to alliance – Peter Obi

2027: I am still open to alliance – Peter Obi

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has rekindled hopes for further talks of a coalition among opposition parties, saying the decision lies with the parties involved.

The opposition parties had, on August 31, met at a summit in Abuja under the auspices of the G-100 to deliberate further on the coalition proposal, which had been on the table even before the parties conducted their presidential primaries.

However, not much has been heard from the major players since the summit.

Obi used an interview on Arise TV on Thursday to shed more light on his position as one of the frontline candidates in the 2027 election.

Speaking during the interview, Obi emphasised that negotiations over potential alliances must take place between political parties rather than individual leaders.

Asked whether he would step down for Atiku Abubakar or accept the vice-presidential slot if an alliance was reached, Obi said the discussion had gone beyond individual candidates.

“I’m a candidate, yes. My leader, Atiku, is a candidate of another party and I am a candidate for another party,” Obi explained. “So, you are talking about two parties coming together; it is no longer him or me.”

Comparing potential political mergers to corporate acquisitions, Obi said party leaderships, rather than just the leading candidates, must structure any working agreement.

According to him, realignment requires formal consensus across party structures, not informal agreements between presidential contenders.

He said any viable opposition coalition must prioritise good governance, national security, job creation and economic productivity over the sharing of positions.

Obi served as Atiku’s running mate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 before both contested the 2023 presidential election on separate platforms.

Obi reiterated his readiness to participate in any strategic alignment aimed at tackling the country’s challenges, saying his ultimate goal remained to build a coalition capable of lifting Nigerians out of poverty and fixing public infrastructure.

‘I was not offered VP ticket’

The NDC presidential candidate also dismissed reports that he rejected an offer to serve as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Obi clarified that no such proposal had formally been extended to him, dismissing claims that he turned down a vice-presidential ticket.

“I don’t know where that was said. I wasn’t even in a position where that was being offered, and I refused,” Obi said during the interview.

Kwankwaso urges Atiku to quit 2027 presidential race

In another development, the Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has urged former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race.

Kwankwaso made the call on Thursday while receiving members of the Fulani Farmers Association at his Abuja residence.

He said Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), should devote his energy to his traditional role as Wazirin Adamawa, citing his age and health concerns.

“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 delegation.

Atiku, who will turn 80 in 2027, had earlier admitted that the election could be his last attempt at the presidency.

“Certainly yes, because the stakes are higher and I believe that will be my last outing,” he said in April.

The former vice-president has made several unsuccessful bids for the presidency since the 1990s, contesting under different political platforms, including the Social Democratic Party, Action Congress and Peoples Democratic Party. In 2023, he contested under the PDP and lost to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Atiku has advocated restructuring, economic liberalisation and private sector-driven growth.

Obi says “fuel subsidy savings wasted, national debt soaring”

In the same interview, the NDC presidential candidate launched a strong criticism of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, accusing the Federal Government of impoverishing Nigerians despite generating trillions of naira from the removal of the petrol subsidy.

The former Anambra State governor argued that although the subsidy regime had historically been plagued by corruption, the current administration had failed to deploy the resulting savings productively.

“What we are having today is that we have impoverished ourselves because we removed subsidy and no gain is seen,” Obi said. “Because the money we say we have borrowed, we borrowed more.”

Obi challenged the government’s accounting of the trillions of naira saved from the removal of the fuel subsidy, saying the funds should have been channelled into critical infrastructure and productive sectors such as agriculture and small businesses.

He promised to redirect subsidies away from consumption towards production, particularly farming, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and education, to stimulate economic growth in northern Nigeria.

He contrasted government spending choices, saying the construction of 25 cancer treatment centres across the country would cost about N100 billion, describing it as a fraction of the funds saved from subsidy removal that could have been invested in critical sectors.

Obi also criticised the government’s spending priorities, arguing that essential infrastructure had been neglected while luxury items, such as new presidential aircraft, were prioritised.

He stressed that as an oil-producing nation, Nigeria should stabilise local energy prices by ensuring a steady supply of crude oil to domestic refineries rather than allowing fuel prices to rise sharply.

Describing the Tinubu administration’s financial decisions as “reckless”, Obi questioned whether the President was fully in charge of state affairs, pointing to what he described as a lack of direct accountability to the public.

He pledged that, under his leadership, the government would freeze unnecessary capital projects, such as presidential estate expansions, and focus on fixing existing roads, schools and health facilities.

He also promised to spend all presidential vacations within Nigeria and personally oversee security responses on the ground rather than remain in Abuja during crises.

On national security, Obi advocated the immediate implementation of state police, stronger satellite surveillance technology and an absolute rejection of ransom payments to kidnappers.

He promised to complete a single four-year term if elected, arguing that four years would be sufficient to reverse the country’s current trajectory, restore economic stability and hand over a functioning nation to the next generation.