One of the opposition arrowheads, Peter Obi, has said he will contest for the office of President in 2027, dismissing rumours that he will be a running mate for Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“I’m going to contest for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I believe I am qualified for it,” Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, said yesterday on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics programme.
When asked whether he was considering becoming the running mate to Atiku, in the 2027 election, Obi said: “This is not in play; nobody has ever discussed that. People assume so many things. Nobody has ever discussed with me whether I am going to be A or B or C.”
The former Anambra State governor stressed that he remains a vibrant member of the Labour Party though he is an active member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition adopted by the opposition to unseat President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who is eyeing a second term of four years in office in 2027.
“I am part of the coalition which will be able to produce a president with the capacity and compassion to save this country,” he said. Speaking further, Obi said the northern region of the country will celebrate him if he becomes president.
According to him, the greatest asset Nigeria has is in the 19 states domiciled in the northern region of the country, but the potential of the region with numerical voter strength and vast arable lands has been largely untapped because of the hydra-headed monster of insecurity.
Obi said: “We have voted for incompetence, we’ve voted for tribe, (and) we’ve voted for religion; let’s vote for competence.
“I want them to trust me. The biggest asset of this country is in the north, the uncultivated lands in the north. The criminality we face in the north today, I will deal with it. “If I am president, the North will celebrate me. I have an idea of the problem.” He also insisted that he does not need more than four years to provide good governance for all Nigerians.
“I don’t need a day more than four years. I will show the direction of good governance,” Obi said. “In two years, there has been maximum damage. Two years can change it in a good direction. People want to get up and see a president that cares, that shows compassion,” he said.
