PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has denied rejecting an offer to serve as the running mate to the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, in the 2027 general elections.
Obi made the clarification during an interview on Arise TV while responding to questions on the possibility of a fresh alliance between opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections. News Point Nigeria reports that Obi said any such arrangement could no longer be reduced to negotiations between individual politicians, but would have to involve the political parties.
In 2025, Obi, Atiku and other opposition leaders formed a coalition under the ADC platform. Months later, however, the coalition collapsed after some of its members left, with Obi emerging as the presidential candidate of the NDC and Atiku becoming the standard-bearer of the ADC.
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 the individual ambitions of the two presidential 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.
He stressed that any potential alliance must be negotiated by the political parties rather than reduced to discussions between individual candidates.
“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 reminded that he had previously stated that he would not accept the vice-presidential position from any candidate, Obi denied that he had rejected 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 during the 2019 presidential election. However, the two politicians contested the 2023 presidential election on different party platforms, with Obi running on the Labour Party (LP) platform and Atiku contesting on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking on the possibility of another opposition alliance ahead of 2027, Obi said he would be willing to be part of any arrangement capable of addressing the country’s major challenges and improving the lives of Nigerians.
He said such an alliance must prioritise national unity, the rule of law and order, accountable leadership, education, healthcare and job creation.
“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.
The development comes amid continuing discussions among opposition parties and political actors over possible cooperation ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Recent reports have indicated that while some opposition figures remain open to renewed cooperation, the earlier coalition has undergone significant realignment, with Obi and Atiku now leading separate presidential bids.