The Labour Party (LP) has ruled out the possibility of its 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, stepping down for any political alliance or rival aspirant, insisting that such a move would betray the hopes of millions of Nigerians yearning for change.
The party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Tony Akeni, stated this in an interview with Saturday PUNCH while reacting to ongoing speculations of a possible opposition merger ahead of the next general elections.
“Forcing Peter Obi to withdraw from the race is to take away 90 per cent of the hope of Nigerians for redemption and a new beginning,” Akeni said, adding that any discussion about alliances would only be meaningful close to the party primaries.
He maintained that neither Obi nor the ‘Obidient’ Movement would abandon their presidential ambition, stressing that “our motto is forward ever, backward never.”
“There is no substitute for the ideology of the Labour Party. And so, we are going head-on for the presidency if the right decision is not taken by the coalition,” Akeni added, while appealing to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to “prove his love for the country by doing the right thing and giving Peter Obi a chance in 2027.”
According to him, “Let Atiku think of what is best for his epitaph. Would he like to be remembered as the man who sacrificed Nigeria for his ambition, yet didn’t get it, or the man who sacrificed his ambition for Nigeria and took it from the cliff to the pathway of modern progress and advancement?”
Akeni revealed that a coalition tagged “AGOBI’27 (Atiku Givus Obi 2027)” was formed by some stakeholders to appeal to Atiku’s conscience and rally support for Obi as a unifying opposition candidate.
On his part, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, argued that power should remain in the South in line with Nigeria’s rotational understanding.
He warned that any attempt to return the presidency to the North in 2027 “will create a break in the unity of this country.”
“The democracy we practise in Nigeria, as we constitutionally agreed, should be rotated between the North and the South. As we speak today, it is still the turn of the South, whether we like it or not,” Tanko said.
He maintained that “Peter Obi is the best product to present to the Nigerian political circle,” adding that the movement will continue to stand with him, saying, “We believe he has the quality, capacity, ability, character, and compassion to make things work. But one thing is key: wherever Mr Peter Obi is going, we will go too.”
His remarks come a week after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar dismissed reports that he planned to step down for any aspirant ahead of the 2027 elections.
Atiku, in a statement through his media aide, Paul Ibe, clarified that he was misquoted in his BBC Hausa interview, explaining that he only said he would support a younger candidate if such a person emerged through a transparent primary.
“What Atiku Abubakar clearly and unambiguously said was that young people, as well as other prospective presidential aspirants, are free to enter the contest,” the statement read.
The former vice president told the BBC Hausa Service: “If I run for office and a young man defeats me, I will accept that. The party we have joined now prioritises youth and women.”
The clarification, however, has not ended discussions about a possible opposition alliance between Atiku and Obi, both of whom contested separately in the 2023 presidential election.
In recent weeks, talks have intensified among opposition figures on the need to present a single, strong candidate to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 polls.