BY AHMED AKANBI
Former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said any alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections must be negotiated by political parties, and not by individual candidates.
Obi stated this on Thursday while responding to questions on whether he would step down for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or accept to be Vice President if the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the NDC reach an alliance.
Speaking in an interview with Arise TV, he said the matter has gone beyond a personal decision between him and Atiku, noting that both are now candidates of different parties.
When asked if he would step down for Atiku in the spirit of an alliance, Obi replied: “Do you know where we are now? No, you tell me. Where are we now? I’m a candidate. Yes. So, my leader Atiku is a candidate of another party. So, you’re talking about two parties coming together.”
“It’s no longer me or him. You’re not talking about parties coming together,” stressing that “any deal must be at the organisational level,” he added.
According to Obi, all the parties involved already have candidates, saying the discussion is no longer about him as an individual.
“All those parties have candidates. So, it’s a discussion. There is no longer me as Peter talking,” he said.
Obi likened the proposed political alliance to a corporate merger, saying it cannot be concluded over drinks by two Chief Executive Officers (CEOs).
“It’s like a situation where you have two corporations trying to come together. It’s no longer something the two CEOs go to a drink and say, we’re going to work together. They need to look at how do we bring these two corporations together?” he said.
He further dismissed claims that he had categorically ruled out being a running mate, saying the politics has passed that stage of personal declarations.
“So it’s not me of saying, oh, I don’t want to be this, or I don’t want to be that. No, it’s past that stage,” Obi said, adding he does not know where the claim that he refused to be vice president came from.
On his agenda, Obi said if elected, the North would celebrate his presidency, vowing to tackle poverty in a new, non-corrupt way and unlock agriculture, which he described as an asset no other region has.