Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has confirmed that he will contest for the office of President in 2027, firmly dismissing speculation that he may serve as running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

His affirmation, however, came as Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike at a church service yesterday, declared: “They say Peter Obi will be President, President where? Out of emotion, most of you are just following someone you don’t know. For eight years, Obi was a governor, but he never conducted local government elections. Now, he is saying that democracy is not working, but it worked in his time. Only Obi was the governor and chairman of all the local governments in Anambra State at the same time. The time has passed; he won’t have the opportunity again.”

During an appearance on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics programme yesterday, Obi said, “I’m going to contest for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I believe I am qualified for it.”

When asked if he was considering being Atiku’s running mate in the 2027 election, Obi responded, “This is not in play; nobody has ever discussed that. People assume so many things. Nobody has ever discussed with me whether I am going to be A or B or C.”

Obi, who governed Anambra State for eight years, reaffirmed his commitment to the Labour Party, even as he remains an active member of the coalition led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which is working to unseat President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election.

“I am part of the coalition which will be able to produce a president with the capacity and compassion to save this country,” he said.

The former presidential candidate also reiterated his readiness to serve only a single term in office if elected, insisting that four years would be sufficient to set Nigeria on the path of progress.

“I don’t need a day more than four years. I will show the direction of good governance,” Obi said.

“In two years, there has been maximum damage. Two years can change it in (a) good direction. People want to get up and see a president that cares, that shows compassion,” he added.

During a thanksgiving service held at St. James’ Anglican Church, Asokoro, Abuja, to mark the successful completion of project commissioning by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Wike also criticised the church for what he described as a near-mistake in the 2023 general elections, warning against a repeat in 2027.

Wike urged church leaders to engage more with politicians in their congregations to better understand the political landscape.

“Let me use this opportunity to tell us, particularly the church — you nearly made the worst mistake in 2023. We have to be very careful this time around,” he said.

“You made a decision that would have cost some of us our future. Ask us questions; we are the politicians.

“You have to be careful of what they tell you. If that thing had happened, some of us wouldn’t have been here today.

“If you want us to educate you, call us — you have senators in this church. Call on them, ask what is going on, and they will be able to educate you. Blackmail — they are at it again,” Wike added.

WIKE also took a swipe at several opposition figures linked with the African Democratic Congress, accusing them of political opportunism, poor leadership, and failed governance.

He criticised the Interim National Secretary of the ADC, Rauf Aregbesola, describing him as a failed Minister of Interior.

“You were Minister of Interior, and to get an international passport, Nigerians had to wait for days, weeks, and months. But look at a young man under this administration — within hours, passports are now issued. Yet you talk about Nigerians being angry. They are angry because of your failure,” Wike stated, drawing a contrast between Aregbesola and his successor, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

Wike also targeted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of frequent party hopping and self-interest. “In 1999, you were at this party. In 2006, another party. In 2014, you moved again. In 2019, back to another party. Now, in 2025, you’re moving again to ‘rescue’ who? It’s your stomach you’re trying to rescue, not Nigeria,” he said.

Mocking Atiku’s recent coalition efforts, Wike remarked, “You say you formed a coalition for 18 months — that’s barely six months after the President was sworn in. They can’t stay out of power, but unfortunately for them, their time has passed.”

The minister also criticised former Senate President David Mark, questioning his developmental record in his constituency. “You were Senate President for eight years, yet there was no road to your local government, Otukpo. You had to fly helicopters to go there. And now you say you want to rescue Nigeria?” he queried.

Turning to former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Wike blamed him for contributing to Nigeria’s rising debt profile through excessive borrowing.

“Eight years as Speaker, eight years as Governor, eight years as Minister — now you say Nigerians are angry. Of course they are. You mortgaged their future with Chinese loans,” he said.

He concluded by criticising Amaechi’s wife, reportedly described as an industrialist, in relation to Amaechi’s presidential ambition. “You say your wife is an industrialist, so you want to become president. Who shut down the industries? May God forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing,” Wike added.

Immediate past National Chairman of the Action Democratic Congress, Ralph Nwosu, yesterday dismissed claims that the Interim National Chairman, David Mark, and National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, were carefully chosen to ensure the party’s presidential ticket goes to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

Nwosu also downplayed concerns that zoning the presidency between the North and South might eventually throw the party into disarray before 2027.

Speaking to The Guardian about these issues, Nwosu disclosed that the party had already established a committee to address zoning concerns. He added that the ADC would provide a level playing field for all aspirants interested in contesting the presidency.

He further revealed that a standing rule had been established barring any presidential hopeful from making public declarations about their ambitions. “They have been told to focus on building the ADC and making it acceptable to Nigerians rather than promoting individual ambitions,” he said.

On the clamour that the South should complete its two terms of eight years in 2031—since former President Muhammadu Buhari, a Northerner, spent eight years—Nwosu shared his experience with a group of young Northerners known as the Youth Equity Group (YEG).

He said, “They visited my office recently and argued that under the Fourth Republic, which began in 1999, the South has already spent 14 years—eight under former President Olusegun Obasanjo and six under former President Goodluck Jonathan. If President Bola Tinubu completes his first term in 2027, the South would have ruled for 18 years, compared to the North’s 10 years under Buhari (8) and the late President Umaru Yar’Adua (2).

“They also said that if Tinubu remains in office till 2031, the South’s total would rise to 22 years, while the North would have only 10. So they asked: where is the equity the South is advocating?”

Nwosu added that the young Northerners dismissed Southern claims about the North’s dominance during military rule. “Their argument is that all Nigerians—North and South—jointly fought to send the military back to the barracks in 1999. It would therefore be wrong, under democratic rule, to continue blaming the North for past military leadership.”

He stressed that the ADC is seriously examining ways to resolve the issue and, to that end, has planned three strategic retreats. “These will help us produce a blueprint on how the party intends to address Nigeria’s economy, set up developmental milestones, and finalise the party’s manifesto.”

Regarding the appointment of David Mark and Aregbesola, Nwosu described them as men of integrity and proven leadership. “David Mark was a disciplined military officer, former state administrator, and a respected Senate President under whose leadership the upper chamber was most peaceful. Aregbesola, a former Osun governor and Minister of Interior, is a cultured Yoruba man with a strong leadership pedigree. To say they were selected to pave the way for Atiku is blatant propaganda by the ruling party.”

Addressing concerns about funding, Nwosu dismissed suggestions of sectional interest and said the party was gaining momentum.

“Already, over 3.5 million Nigerians have registered interest in supporting and working for the ADC through our website. The party is moving forward and is determined to win the 2027 election,” he declared.

The African Democratic Congress has branded President Bola Tinubu’s administration “calculatedly incompetent”, alleging that its sudden promise to remove obstacles to food security is driven by political panic rather than genuine concern for Nigerians.

In a statement dated July 6, 2025, and signed by Bolaji Abdullahi, Interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC and spokesperson for the recently formed opposition coalition, the party said the government’s new posture followed mounting pressure from the coalition’s unveiling last week.

The ADC was reacting to a social media post by Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, who stated that the government would clear “bottlenecks hindering the realisation of the Tinubu administration’s potential” to achieve food sovereignty and boost exports.

Abdullahi called Onanuga’s message “a confession” that the government had “by design, been sitting on its hands while Nigerians starved”. “Now, under mounting political pressure, they want applause for doing the bare minimum? This is not reform. This is not leadership. This is a scramble for survival by an administration that has been cornered by its own failures,” he said.

The party argued that the ruling All Progressives Congress had “deliberately weaponised poverty”, alleging that the reforms could have been carried out earlier but were being timed for maximum electoral advantage ahead of the 2027 poll. “If the bottlenecks that Onanuga alluded to … could have been removed earlier, why did they keep them in place while millions went hungry and businesses collapsed?” the statement asked.

“The President is not governing. He is campaigning, two years early, because he knows he’s in trouble,” it continued, warning Nigerians not to be “swayed by choreographed press releases and sudden awakenings”.

Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, running mate to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, has urged the African Democratic Congress and its coalition allies to field a presidential candidate in 2027 who cannot be easily outmanoeuvred by the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Amid speculation that the ADC may adopt former Vice President Atiku Abubakar—who played a key role in the formation of the coalition—as its flagbearer, Baba-Ahmed warned that the APC, led by President Bola Tinubu, is too familiar with Atiku’s political strategies.

Speaking in a recent television interview, the former lawmaker said, “If you bring out Atiku, they know how to work against Atiku, and he is welcome to win. If he wins, we will support him. You need that candidate they can’t understand, they don’t know where to catch, that is how to win an election.”

Baba-Ahmed further advised the ADC to acknowledge Tinubu’s political influence, noting that the President spent 16 years patiently plotting his path to the presidency, which he achieved in 2023.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s condolence visit to the family of the late Alhaji Aminu Dantata in Kano was boycotted by former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and the entire leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state yesterday.

Shekarau, a PDP Board of Trustees member and leader of the opposition in Kano, was notably absent from Atiku’s delegation during the visit to the late businessman’s residence in Koki.

Although Atiku has not officially withdrawn from the PDP, his visible involvement in the emerging political coalition around the African Democratic Congress is believed to have triggered the cold reception from party leaders in Kano.

The former presidential candidate was accompanied by several prominent figures, including former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, former Adamawa State Governor Umaru Jibrilla Bindo, and a host of other dignitaries.

When contacted, the PDP Chairman in Kano, Yusuf Ado Kibiya, said the party was not informed of Atiku’s visit. While he admitted uncertainty over the former Vice President’s current status in the PDP, he maintained that the party leadership in the state had no obligation to be part of the condolence visit.

Speaking to journalists after the visit, Atiku described the late Aminu Dantata as a “phenomenon” and an exceptional philanthropist whose legacy would continue to resonate in the business community and across Nigeria.

He said Dantata was a detribalised Nigerian whose commercial impact spanned across regions in Nigeria, Africa, and beyond, praising his enduring contributions to the country’s development.