2027: Labour Party urges Atiku to support Obi

The Labour Party (LP) has dismissed speculations that its 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, could step down for any coalition or rival aspirant, insisting such a move would betray the hopes of millions of Nigerians seeking change.

Responding to ongoing debates over possible opposition alignments ahead of the next general election, Tony Akeni, LP’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, said Obi’s withdrawal would amount to extinguishing the aspirations of most Nigerians.

“Forcing Peter Obi to withdraw from the race is to take away 90 per cent of the hope of Nigerians for redemption and a new beginning,” Akeni told Punch.

“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.”

He stressed that neither Obi nor the ‘Obidient’ Movement would back down, adding: “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 also appealed to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to put national interest above personal ambition.

“Let Atiku think of what is best for his epitaph. Would he like to be remembered as the man who sacrificed Nigeria for his ambition, yet didn’t get it, or the man who sacrificed his ambition for Nigeria and took it from the cliff to the pathway of modern progress and advancement?” he asked.

He disclosed that a coalition known as “AGOBI’27 (Atiku Givus Obi 2027)” had emerged to persuade Atiku to support Obi’s candidacy as a unifying option for the opposition.

Similarly, Dr Yunusa Tanko, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, said the 2027 presidency should remain in the South under Nigeria’s informal rotational arrangement.

“The democracy we practise 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,” Tanko said.

“And so, if you want to change a southern candidate, you can only replace him with another southern candidate. Any attempt to return power to the North in 2027 will create a break in the unity of this country.”

Tanko insisted Obi remains the movement’s choice. “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 added.

The remarks come a week after Atiku denied reports that he planned to step down for any aspirant in 2027. His media aide, Paul Ibe, described such claims as a misrepresentation of the former vice president’s BBC Hausa interview, clarifying that Atiku only pledged to support a younger candidate if such a person emerged through a credible primary.

“What Atiku Abubakar clearly and unambiguously said was that young people, as well as other prospective presidential aspirants, are free to enter the contest,” Ibe said.

In the interview, Atiku told BBC Hausa: “If I run for office and a young man defeats me, I will accept that. The party we have joined now prioritises youth and women.”

Speculation over a possible opposition alliance between Atiku and Obi has intensified in recent weeks, with analysts warning that multiple opposition candidates in 2027 could again split votes — a scenario many believe aided President Bola Tinubu’s victory in 2023.

So far, both camps have remained central to the talks but are yet to formally commit to a joint ticket.