Presidential aide Daniel Bwala has claimed that Peter Obi has effectively stepped down from pursuing another presidential bid, ceding the 2027 ambition to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking on Politics Today aired on Channels TV, Bwala alleged that Obi is now jostling for a vice-presidential slot rather than the top seat itself, competing with former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi.
“Peter Obi is now a non-issue. He’s a non-starter. Already, he has conceded his presidential ambition to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” Bwala said.
He added, “Now he has become second fiddle, but he needs to fight for the vice-presidential ticket with Rotimi Amaechi.
“From what we are hearing, they have convinced him that he will be director-general of the campaign to lead the movement, and that when they win the election, Atiku will do one term, and then Peter Obi will return to become president.”
However, Obi has dismissed such claims. On Sunday, he reiterated his intention to contest the presidency in 2027, denying speculation that he had accepted to serve as Atiku’s running mate.
AFRIPOST reported last week that several opposition leaders officially adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the political platform to challenge Tinubu’s re-election.
Key figures in the coalition include Obi, Atiku, Amaechi, Rauf Aregbesola, and former Senate President David Mark.
Despite the high-profile names involved, Bwala insisted that the coalition lacked a unifying ideology and would collapse within months.
“All this fantasy of coalition, we all know that once there is a phenomenon like that, we are going to have a good two to three weeks of romanticising: ‘we have ideas, we can do this’,” he mocked.