Peter Obi denies rejecting Atiku’s 2027 running-mate offer

Peter Obi denied rejecting Atiku Abubakar’s VP offer, saying any 2027 opposition alliance must be negotiated party-to-party, not by individual candidates.

 Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says he did not reject an offer to serve as running mate to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in the 2027 elections.   Obi spoke during an interview on Arise TV while fielding questions about a possible alliance between opposition parties ahead of the upcoming elections.   In 2025, Obi, Atiku and other opposition leaders formed a coalition under the ADC. Months later, however, the coalition collapsed after some members left, with Obi emerging as the NDC presidential candidate and Atiku as the ADC standard-bearer.   Asked whether he would step down for Atiku or accept the vice-presidential slot if an alliance was reached, Obi said the discussion had gone beyond individual candidates.     “I’m a candidate, yes. So, my leader, Atiku, is a candidate of another party. I am a candidate for another party. So, you are talking about two parties coming together; it is no longer him or me,” Obi said.   Obi said any potential alliance must involve the political parties rather than be reduced to negotiations between individuals.   “All those parties have candidates. So, it is a discussion. It is no longer me, as Peter is talking. It is like a situation where two corporations are trying to come together. It is no longer something the two CEOs go to a drink and say we are going to work together. They need to look at how to bring these two corporations together,” he said.     When told he had previously said he would not accept the vice-presidential position from any candidate, Obi denied rejecting any such offer.   “I don’t know where that was said. I wasn’t even in a position where that was being offered, and I refused,” he said.   Obi was Atiku’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election. However, they contested the 2023 election on different party platforms, with Obi running on the Labour Party (LP) platform and Atiku on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform.   Obi said he would be part of an alliance that would make national unity, the rule of law and order, accountable leadership, education, healthcare and job creation among his top priorities.     “I want to be part of any coalition that will make Nigeria work. That will make Nigeria productive. That will create jobs for the young ones. That will pull people out of poverty. That will make education work,” Obi added.

—Says no such proposal was made Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has denied rejecting an offer to serve as running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, ahead of the 2027 elections. Obi made the clarification during an interview on Arise TV while […] The post Obi denies rejecting Atiku’s VP offer appeared first on Vanguard News.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has dismissed claims that he refused to work with the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 elections. Obi said he had never been in a political party where he was offered the opportunity to become Atiku’s running mate and declined […] 2027 presidency: I was never asked to be Atiku’s VP – Peter Obi

Peter Obi has said he never rejected an offer to become the running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Obi made the clarification while featuring in an interview on Arise Television. Responding to a question on whether he had ruled out becoming Atiku’s running mate, Obi said no such offer had been presented to […] 2027: Obi says he never rejected offer to become Atiku’s running mate