As the 2027 presidential election draws closer, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has reignited hopes for further talks of an alliance among opposition parties, saying the decision rests with the concerned parties.
JESNews recalls that the opposition parties met at a summit in Abuja on August 32, under the auspices of the G-100 to deliberate further on the coalition proposal, which had been on the table even before the parties conducted their presidential primaries.
However, not much was heard from the major figures since the summit.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV, Peter Obi , who shed more light on his position as one of the frontline candidates in the 2027 election, emphasised that negotiations over potential alliances must take place between political parties rather than individual leaders.
Questioned whether he would step down for Atiku Abubakar or accept the vice-presidential slot if an alliance was reached, Obi stated that the discussion had gone beyond individual candidates.
“I’m a candidate, yes. My leader, Atiku, is a candidate of another party and I am a candidate for another party,” Obi explained. “So, you are talking about two parties coming together; it is no longer him or me.”
Comparing potential political mergers to corporate acquisitions, Obi said party leaderships, rather than just the leading candidates, must structure any working agreement.
According to him, realignment requires formal consensus across party structures, not informal agreements between presidential contenders.
He said any viable opposition coalition must prioritise good governance, national security, job creation and economic productivity over the sharing of positions.
Obi served as Atiku’s running mate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 before both contested the 2023 presidential election on separate platforms.
Obi reiterated his readiness to participate in any strategic alignment aimed at tackling the nation’s challenges, saying his ultimate goal remained to build a coalition capable of lifting Nigerians out of poverty and fixing public infrastructure.
‘I was not offered VP ticket’
“I don’t know where that was said. I wasn’t even in a position where that was being offered, and I refused,” Obi said.
