2027:Obi Indifferent To Coalition
There have been rising indications that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, may pull out of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar-led coalition planning to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress in 2027 general elections.
Obi told his supporters that he will contest the 2027 general elections on the LP’s platform.
He said this while speaking to a group of young supporters in a video circulating on the party’s WhatsApp platform, as recorded by the Danroyce TV on Saturday.
Obi also accused the Federal Government of instigating and being behind the internal crises in the two dominant opposition political parties, the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Answering a question on which platform he intended to contest the 2027 elections, Obi said, “I will still continue to run in the Labour Party. I’m a member of the Labour Party.”
Answering another question from a youth who was apparently disturbed about what appears to be Obi’s indifference towards the LP’s crisis, Obi said, “What is happening in the Labour Party and the PDP is caused by the government. Quote me anywhere.
“We had a problem in our party before, in the past, (Umaru) Yar’Adua was the president. I went to him then; he called the (then) INEC Chairman Prof. Maurice Iwu and told him I don’t want any problem in any party. We were forced to fix it.
“But today, in all the parties, there are problems. These are deliberate problems caused by the system. These are some of the things I want to clean up if I have the opportunity. Parties will function very well because you can’t have a system working without a strong opposition.”
Obi advised Nigerians to take responsibility for ensuring that their votes count, because even if agents are paid by political parties to look after their interests, the ultimate decision about the people’s votes counting rests with voters.
He also urged Nigerian youths and the electorate not to be discouraged because positive change will also be resisted by those who are beneficiaries of the old order.
The former Anambra State governor said that, left to him, there should be a retirement age for politicians seeking public office.
He said by the time the 2027 election holds, he would be 65 years old, and that he would not want to be contesting for elections in his 70s.
Obi’s comments come amid reports of a potential opposition coalition involving political figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and others.
A proposed coalition was allegedly leaning toward adopting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform for 2027 elections.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Sam Udekwe is a journalist working in the News and Current Affairs department, Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Enugu. He is well trained in all genres of journalistic venture.
Mr Sam read Mass Communication, graduating all with Distinction in National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma at IMT, Enugu and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state, while he is presently on his M.Sc programme also in Mass Communication, at National Open University of Nigeria.
He was the NUJ Chairman, Enugu state who handed over to the Caretaker Committee currently in the Council.
samowailo@gmail.com
