The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has reaffirmed his intention to run for president in 2027, just as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has hinted at his interest in the race.
This development comes days after the duo, alongside other opposition figures, including former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their coalition’s platform to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Obi and Atiku’s ambitions have divided their supporters. Over the weekend, social media platforms were awash with debates as both leaders’ loyalists exchanged salvos in defence of their preferred candidates.
Amaechi, who came second in the 2022 presidential primary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has also expressed interest in seeking the ADC ticket for 2027, promising to serve only one term in the spirit of fairness and adherence to the unwritten zoning agreement.
This potential clash of ambitions has been flagged by analysts as a likely obstacle to the success of the coalition. However, in an earlier interview with Daily Trust, Amaechi had stated that all contenders had agreed to support whoever emerges from a credible presidential primary.
Obi doubled down on his position during an interview on Channels Television yesterday.
“I am going to contest for the president of Nigeria and I believe I am qualified,” Obi said when asked whether he had discussed the possibility of being Atiku’s running mate in 2027.
“Nobody has discussed with me that I’m going to be A, B or C,” he added.
Obi was Atiku’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but they lost to then incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. In 2023, Atiku retained the PDP’s ticket; while Obi contested under the Labour Party. Both men finished second and third respectively, behind President Tinubu.
Analysis of the 2023 results shows that Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes. Theoretically, a joint Atiku-Obi ticket could have surpassed that with their combined tally of 6,984,520 and 6,101,533 votes, analysts have suggested. This and other strategic considerations have fuelled the coalition drive.
However, despite the unveiling of the ADC as the coalition’s platform last Wednesday, Atiku and Obi have so far remained in their respective parties, contrary to earlier speculation that they would defect immediately.
While receiving a delegation of Gombe stakeholders at his Abuja residence on Saturday, Atiku reiterated his commitment to the 2027 race and the adoption of the ADC. He promised to ensure that at least 70 per cent of those he would work with, if elected, would be women and youths.
“Whoever steals or engages in any corruption-related activities, we will declare war against them and they must be punished,” he said.
Atiku blamed Nigeria’s stagnation on entrenched corruption and poor leadership, lamenting that “other countries are advancing, but Nigeria remains retrogressive because of a few corrupt people. Enough is enough.”
The delegation was led by Senator Idris Abdullahi, who pledged their full support to Atiku and announced the group’s decision to join the ADC in solidarity with him.
Obi woos northerners, reassures of one-term presidency
In the interview, Obi yesterday reiterated that he remained a member of the Labour Party, clarifying that the adoption of the ADC by opposition leaders was a collective strategy for the 2027 elections.
When asked if he might eventually leave the Labour Party, Obi said: “We can’t say whether we will leave or not, but we have all agreed to work together with the ADC.”
He described his engagement with the ADC as a gesture of collaboration rather than an act of disloyalty.
“That I have intended to come and eat with you does not mean I should abandon my dinner,” he said.
Obi called on northerners to trust his leadership, declaring that he understands the region’s challenges and is ready to tackle them head-on.
“If I become president today, the North will celebrate me. The biggest asset of this country is in the North—in terms of the vast array of uncultivated lands,” he said.
Reaffirming his promise to serve only one term, Obi said Nigerians could trust his commitment.
“I don’t need a day more than four years. I will show the direction of good governance,” he said. “In two years, there has been maximum damage. That shows you two years can change things for the better. People want to wake up and see a president that cares.”
He pledged to use national resources prudently.
“If I become president, I will not buy a new jet because I don’t need one. I won’t spend N150 billion on jets when 80 per cent of our primary healthcare centres are not functioning,” he said.
Recalling his time as Anambra State governor, Obi said: “For my first four years, I drove a Peugeot 406. For the rest of my tenure, I didn’t use a bulletproof car. Nobody will try to kill you if you are doing the right thing. If your people are dying, you should be ready to die.”
Responding to concerns that the ADC platform may have been engineered to realise Atiku’s ambition, Obi dismissed the suggestion.
“I don’t believe in assumptions. I am part of the coalition that will produce a competent president with the capacity and compassion to save this country,” he said.
“My job as a leader is to inspire both the old and the young. It is not for me to label one person good and another bad. We must come together and prove that we can govern better,” Obi stated.
Obi noted that the primary goal of the coalition is to remove the APC-led government through lawful means.
He said: “We have seen its failure and incompetence. They don’t have the capacity to do the job, and we must act, for the sake of our children,” he said.
“As president of Nigeria, I will restore civility and order in governance. I will operate within the law and uphold the constitution. The government will obey the law. I will make appointments based on federal character and merit. Competent, compassionate, and exemplary individuals will be in charge, not placeholders.”
Obi pledged to prioritise investment in education over oil and to make agriculture a national priority.
Asked whether being a running mate could be an option for achieving the coalition’s goals, Obi responded: “There is no option here. We are not talking about options,” he said.
He added that it is up to Nigerians to decide whether he should be on the ballot.
On economic policy, Obi criticised the current administration’s approach to fuel subsidy removal.
“There is corruption associated with subsidy that needs to be addressed first. This government said subsidy removal was to stop borrowing, but it has borrowed more than the Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and Buhari administrations combined.
“There is nothing wrong with borrowing,” he added, “but you don’t borrow for consumption—you borrow to invest in critical areas of development,” he said.
APC knows how to work against Atiku – Datti Baba-Ahmed
In an earlier interview with Trust TV, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, running mate to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election, suggested that for the opposition coalition to succeed, leaders like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar must be willing to support candidates the APC cannot easily defeat.
He emphasised the need for clarity and strategic planning within the coalition.
“The coalition must be clear about what they stand for,” he said. “And we need fresh faces—not people who just left the APC because they didn’t get what they wanted. There are people who have been in government for 24 years. That can’t be all we have.”
He added that success against a well-entrenched ruling party requires meticulous planning and a unified vision.
“You need to really plan and stick to that plan. You don’t come in haphazardly and expect to defeat someone who is a planner.”
Asked whether he believes the coalition currently lacks a coherent strategy, Baba-Ahmed said: “I am not criticising or going against the coalition. (But) it is not there yet. If you do business as usual against a sitting government like Tinubu’s, you won’t win.
“You need to actually do what we call ‘think outside the box’. To achieve an impossible feat, you need an impossible strategy. You need to do the unthinkable. Because if you bring out who they are seeing— and who they are seeing now is Atiku—they already know how to work against Atiku.”
He, however, acknowledged that if Atiku eventually emerges as the coalition’s candidate, he would support him.
“But the coalition needs a candidate that can’t be predicted,” he added.
According to Baba-Ahmed, the coalition is rich in options and resources, but its major challenge lies in managing conflicting ambitions.
“The downside is that the coalition is also too full of ambitions. That ambition has to be reduced and managed,” he said.
He contrasted the current situation with 2015, when President Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the undisputed leader of the opposition.
“Unlike in 2015, when you had a default leader in Buhari, this time there should not be a default leader,” he said.
“Buhari was coming to challenge Jonathan, whose tenure was seen as a Northern slot. And you know that rotation—zoning—in Nigeria is like a religion. It’s as powerful as what the constitution provides. So it was very easy for the Tinubus, the Amaechis and others from the South to rally behind him,” he said
Baba-Ahmed also reflected on the spirit of mutual respect and restraint he observed in the lead-up to past elections.
“During my 2023 campaign, I recalled the 2018 primaries for the 2019 elections. I felt honoured that there were people from the South who were resourced, experienced, and had everything to contest—but chose not to. I felt I lived in a true federation where we had mutual respect for one another.
“So in 2023, I chose not to contest—even though I ran in 2019,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He contrasted that with what he described as Atiku’s persistent ambition.
“But when you have a consistent ambition from 2007 all the way to 2023, and someone else who pulls back and says, ‘This is not my time, this is not our time—I’m going to support someone else’,” he said, in a veiled reference to Atiku Abubakar.
Bigwigs’ interests, Obi’s supporters threaten coalition unity – Analysts
Speaking to Daily Trust, Abubakar Ibrahim, a political scientist based in Lafia, said Atiku’s bid for the 2027 presidency, though legally valid, could undermine the coalition’s ability to defeat President Tinubu.
“Well, Atiku’s ambition, as far as the coalition is concerned, could be detrimental to its success. I mean the success of the coalition in winning the 2027 presidential election,” he said.
He explained that southern Nigeria is likely to oppose Atiku’s candidacy, on the grounds that Tinubu should be allowed to complete a constitutionally expected eight-year term for the South—matching the tenure of former President Buhari, who is from the North.
“So, while Atiku would be constitutionally right to contest, I think for the coalition’s success, he should forgo that right. Insisting on getting his way could tear the coalition apart,” he added.
Ibrahim, however, noted that the outcome may depend on how the ADC conducts its primaries.
“If it’s done credibly and transparently, and seen to be so by all the contenders, that may keep the coalition intact, especially if there’s consensus on who the running mate should be,” he said.
He added that widespread economic hardship under the Tinubu administration—particularly in northern Nigeria—might weaken regional or religious resistance and boost Atiku’s chances.
“With millions of assured votes coming from Atiku’s base, this development could pose a serious challenge to the coalition. It could either remain united and allow Atiku to run with full support if he wins the ticket, or splinter along ethnic and regional lines, allowing Tinubu to retain power,” he said.
On his part, Lukman Abubakar, a Kaduna-based political analyst, said the presence of multiple presidential hopefuls in the coalition–such as Amaechi, Atiku and Obi’s strong support base—exposes the fragility of the alliance.
“You see, the situation of multiple heavyweight contenders from different regions within one political family—especially with someone like Rotimi Amaechi subtly declaring interest in the presidency—presents a classic challenge for Nigerian political coalitions,” he said.
He advised that for the coalition to survive, it must adopt binding internal agreements, equitable power-sharing formulas, robust conflict-resolution frameworks, and a clear ideological direction.
“Managing expectations and fostering genuine collaboration will require immense political will, shrewd negotiation, and a commitment to democratic principles. Without these, the risk of implosion remains high,” he added.
Abubakar argued that, based on Nigeria’s political history, the current coalition appears to be more a convergence of individual ambitions than a national rescue mission.
“Given Nigeria’s political history and the immediate signs of a power tussle, it is more realistic to view this coalition as a temporary alliance of political ambitions,” he said.
He warned that while the public rhetoric may centre on rescuing Nigeria, internal dynamics suggest leadership rivalries may ultimately define the coalition’s fate.
“Whether it eventually translates into meaningful governance for the benefit of Nigeria will depend on how those ambitions are managed—and whether the coalition can rise above internal power struggles to focus on national objectives,” he concluded.
