The Labour Party has refuted reports that its potential 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, may step down for any political coalition or rival challenger, claiming that such a move would violate the dream of millions of Nigerians seeking change.
In response to continuing debates over potential opposition alliances ahead of the 2019 general election, the party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Tony Akeni, stated that pulling the former Anambra State governor from the race “is to take away 90 percent of Nigerians’ hope for redemption and a new beginning.”
Akeni stated this in an interview with The PUNCH.
“Forcing Peter Obi to withdraw from the race is to take away 90 percent of the hope of Nigerians for redemption and a new beginning.
“So, I see a situation where we will all come together—stakeholders—and take the right decision at the right time. And that right time is still a little bit far away; it will be close to the primaries,” Akeni stated.
He reiterated that neither Obi nor the ‘Obidient’ Movement would surrender their presidential bid, stressing that “our motto is forward ever, backwards never.”
“There is no substitute for the ideology of the Labour Party. And so, we are going head-on for the presidency if the right decision is not taken by the coalition,” Akeni said, while appealing to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to “prove his love for the country by doing the right thing and giving Peter Obi a chance in 2027.”
Akeni noted that the “AGOBI’27 (Atiku Givus Obi 2027)” coalition was formed by some stakeholders to appeal to Atiku’s conscience and convince him to support Obi’s candidacy as a unifying option for the opposition.
Additionally, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, reaffirmed that the 2027 presidency should remain in the South under Nigeria’s informal rotational arrangement.
“The democracy we practice in Nigeria, as we constitutionally agreed, should be rotated between the North and the South. As we speak today, it is still the turn of the South, whether we like it or not.
“And so, if you want to change a southern candidate, you can only replace him with another southern candidate,” Tanko said.
He cautioned that any attempt to restore power to the North in 2027 “will create a break in the unity of this country” and urged all parties to work together to produce a “southern candidate acceptable to all.”
Tanko stated that the movement is steadfast in its opinion that “Peter Obi is the best product to present to the Nigerian political circle,” and that it is not considering any alternatives.
“We believe he has the quality, capacity, ability, character, and compassion to make things work. But one thing is key: wherever Mr. Peter Obi is going, we will go too,” he said.
