PETER Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has said Seyi Makinde, his counterpart in the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), is qualified to become Nigeria’s president.
News Point Nigeria reports that Obi made the declaration on Monday in Abuja at the unveiling of Makinde’s presidential campaign office ahead of the 2027 elections, where he also called for unity among opposition parties and urged Nigerians to freely choose their preferred candidate.
The former Anambra State governor made the remarks while expressing solidarity with Makinde, stressing that the 2027 presidential contest should not be driven by desperation or political hostility but by the collective desire to rescue and rebuild Nigeria.
“A Nigeria of unity and inclusion. We have a candidate who is contesting the presidency today: my dear brother Seyi Makinde. Is he qualified to be president? Yes,” Obi said.
“What we are doing today is to show you that, for us, we don’t have desperation. We want the people of Nigeria to make their choice. Whoever they choose, all of us will come together to build a new Nigeria.
“We can’t all continue the way we are going today. Our people are hungry. Our people are poor. Our people are insecure. Whoever wins, genuinely, from a free, fair and credible election, we all want to work together to save this country from collapse.”
Obi said Nigeria’s political class should move away from confrontation and focus its energy on finding solutions to the problems facing citizens.
“We don’t want politics of quarrel, politics of disagreement. Let our quarrel be to feed our people. Let our quarrel be to pull our people out of poverty,” he said.
He said political leaders should work towards building a country where citizens can succeed regardless of their background or connections.
“We want a Nigeria where a child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody. That’s what we want. And all of us will work as a family. And I assure you that we remain united in our rescue for our dear country, Nigeria,” he added.
Obi’s appearance at the inauguration of Makinde’s campaign office comes amid continued political realignments among opposition figures ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Makinde and Obi are among the opposition figures seeking the presidency in 2027.
Makinde is contesting on the APM platform, while Obi is the presidential candidate of the NDC.
Atiku Abubakar is the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while President Bola Tinubu is seeking a second term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).