Renowned political economist, Professor, Pat Utomi, has declared that former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will contest the 2027 presidential election, warning that he would withdraw his support if Obi agrees to run as a vice-presidential candidate.
Utomi made the statement on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“I can tell you that Peter Obi will contest for the presidency. The day he becomes somebody’s vice president, I walk away from his corner. I can tell you that for a fact,” he said.
Obi, who came third in the 2023 general election with about six million votes, announced his formal defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Enugu on Wednesday.
At the event, he described his move as the start of a journey to “rescue our country and set it on the path of proper socio-economic development.”
However, the defection has drawn criticism and speculation, especially over potential conflict within the ADC, which also counts former Vice President Atiku Abubakar among its prominent members. Concerns have been raised over the party’s presidential zoning arrangement.
Utomi also called for an age cap on presidential aspirants, suggesting that no one above 70 should run for executive positions.
“The Nigerian presidency has become a retirement home where people go for the Nigerian state to pay their medical bills. It is not acceptable.
“They don’t have the fitness to run the country. The last one, and the current one, have essentially been government-in-absentia leaders,” he said.
He said he would actively campaign to bar persons over 70 from contesting for governor or president.
“I, Pat Utomi, am insisting that I will canvass to the Nigerian people that nobody over the age of 70 should run for an executive position, whether it be governor or president,” he added.