The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, has expressed his desire to partake in the 2027 exercise.
Speaking during an online programme, the former Governor of Anambra State said he does not mind to serve for a term of four years if chosen by the proposed coalition of opposition political parties designed to oust President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“If the agreement is one term, I will leave on May 28, 2031, not even May 29. I am not desperate to be president. I am desperate to see Nigeria work,” Mr Obi said on an XSpace session tagged #PeterObiOnParallelFacts, which drew over 10,000 live participants and nearly 3,000 audience comments.
Recall that over the weekend, a staunch follower of Mr Obi, Mr David Hudenyin, said the former Anambra Governor must declare his interest to contest in the 2027 presidential election to enable prompt planning.
Mr Obi polled over 6 million votes in the last presidential election, coming third. The exercise was won by Mr Tinubu, while Mr Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was second.
Major opposition parties have been meeting to form an alliance to defeat Mr Tinubu at the next exercise. It is not certain if Mr Obi will clinch the ticket because there are talks that Mr Atiku is also interested in running again.
But the Labour Party chieftain has emphasised that, “If the coalition is about sharing tickets and power for its sake, count me out. I’m not interested. I want a coalition that stops the killings in Borno, puts food on people’s tables, and gets our industries working.”