Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has said he remains open to an alliance among opposition political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, stressing that any such arrangement must be negotiated by the parties rather than individual candidates.
Obi made the clarification during an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, as discussions over a possible opposition coalition continue to generate interest among political parties and their supporters.
Opposition parties had on August 31 gathered in Abuja under the auspices of the G-100 to deliberate on the proposed coalition, which had been under discussion even before the parties conducted their presidential primaries.
However, following the summit, there has been limited public information about the progress of the proposed alliance.
Obi, who emerged as one of the leading opposition figures following his strong performance in the 2023 presidential election, said any decision on a possible alliance must involve the political parties and their structures.
Asked whether he would step down for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar or accept the position of vice-president if an alliance was reached, Obi said the issue should not be reduced to negotiations between individual presidential candidates.
“I’m a candidate, yes. My leader, Atiku, is a candidate of another party and I am a candidate for another party. So, you are talking about two parties coming together; it is no longer him or me,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor compared a possible political merger to a corporate acquisition, arguing that the leadership and structures of the parties involved must negotiate and agree on the terms of the arrangement.
According to him, a credible realignment would require formal consensus across party structures rather than informal agreements between presidential contenders.
Obi said any opposition coalition should be driven by a common commitment to good governance, national security, job creation and economic productivity rather than negotiations over political positions.
He maintained that he remained willing to participate in any strategic political alignment capable of addressing Nigeria’s economic and social challenges.
“My goal is to build a coalition that will lift Nigerians out of poverty and fix our infrastructure,” Obi said.
Obi and Atiku previously worked together under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with Obi serving as Atiku’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election. The two later contested the 2023 presidential election separately, with Obi running on the Labour Party platform and Atiku contesting under the PDP.
Obi: ‘I Was Not Offered VP Ticket’
The NDC presidential candidate also dismissed reports that he had rejected an offer to become Atiku Abubakar’s running mate ahead of the 2027 election.
Atiku is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Obi said no formal vice-presidential offer had been made to him and therefore he could not have rejected one.
“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.
His comments appear to leave room for further negotiations among opposition parties as political consultations intensify ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Kwankwaso Urges Atiku to Quit 2027 Race
Meanwhile, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who is the NDC vice-presidential candidate, has called on 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 urged Atiku to concentrate on his traditional role as Wazirin Adamawa, citing his age and health.
“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 previously acknowledged that the forthcoming presidential election could be his final 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 contested the presidency several times since the 1990s on different political platforms, including the Social Democratic Party, Action Congress and PDP.
In 2023, he contested under the PDP but lost to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Atiku has continued to advocate political restructuring, economic liberalisation and greater reliance on the private sector to drive economic growth.
Obi Attacks Tinubu Government Over Subsidy Savings
During the Arise TV interview, Obi also criticised the economic policies of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, particularly the use of funds generated following the removal of the petrol subsidy.
The former Anambra governor argued that while the subsidy regime had been associated with corruption and inefficiency, its removal should have created additional fiscal space for the government to invest in productive sectors of the economy.
Instead, he alleged that Nigerians had become poorer while government borrowing and national debt continued to rise.
“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.”
He questioned the government’s accounting of the trillions of naira said to have been saved through the removal of the subsidy, arguing that the resources should have been directed towards infrastructure, agriculture, small businesses and education.
Obi said his approach would be to shift government support away from consumption and towards production, particularly agriculture and small and medium-sized enterprises.
He also highlighted the need for greater investment in northern Nigeria, arguing that productive sectors must be strengthened to create jobs and reduce poverty.
According to Obi, constructing 25 cancer treatment centres across Nigeria would cost approximately N100 billion, which he described as a relatively small amount compared with the resources generated from the removal of the petrol subsidy.
He argued that such investments would have a direct impact on citizens and improve the country’s healthcare infrastructure.
The former Anambra governor further criticised what he described as misplaced government spending priorities, including expenditure on luxury items and presidential infrastructure while roads, schools and healthcare facilities remain in need of attention.
He also called for greater stability in domestic energy prices, arguing that Nigeria, as an oil-producing country, should ensure adequate crude oil supply to local refineries.
Obi described some of the government’s financial decisions as reckless and questioned the level of direct accountability within the administration.
Security and State Police
On national security, Obi advocated the immediate implementation of state police as part of broader reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
He also called for greater use of satellite surveillance technology to monitor criminal activities and improve intelligence gathering.
The NDC candidate said ransom payments to kidnappers should be rejected, arguing that paying criminals only strengthens their operations and encourages further abductions.
He also pledged that, if elected president, he would personally monitor security situations and spend his vacations within Nigeria rather than travelling abroad.
Obi said his administration would prioritise existing infrastructure over unnecessary capital projects, including expansions of presidential estates, and would instead focus on rehabilitating roads, schools, hospitals and other public facilities.
He further pledged to serve only one four-year term if elected president in 2027, arguing that four years would be sufficient to begin reversing Nigeria’s current trajectory, restore economic stability and establish stronger institutions.
With the 2027 election increasingly shaping political calculations, Obi’s continued openness to an opposition alliance is likely to sustain discussions over the possibility of a broader realignment among opposition parties.
For now, however, he insists that any coalition must be negotiated by the parties involved and built around a shared programme for governance rather than simply determining which individual candidate occupies the presidential ticket.
