Obi: Stepping Down For Atiku No Longer My Decision
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said he cannot independently decide to step down for his African Democratic Congress (ADC) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 election.
Obi explained that both men are now presidential candidates of different political parties, making any decision to unite a matter for the parties rather than the individuals.
He spoke during an interview with Arise Television aired on Thursday.
Responding to a question on whether he would step aside for Atiku, the former Anambra State governor said the political situation had moved beyond a personal decision between the two candidates.
“Where we are now is that I’m a candidate, my leader Atiku is a candidate of another party, so you are talking about two parties coming together; it’s no longer me or him.”
Obi and Atiku contested the 2023 presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but lost to President Bola Tinubu. Obi later left the PDP and emerged as the NDC presidential candidate, while Atiku is seeking the presidency on the ADC platform.
Amid reports of a possible alliance between the two politicians, Obi had also rejected suggestions that he was being offered the position of Atiku’s running mate.
Reaffirming his position, Obi said he was never in a political party where such an offer was made to him.
“I wasn’t even in any party where that offer was on the table. I wasn’t even in a position where it was being offered and I refused.”
He maintained that the question of who should lead any possible alliance would have to be addressed within the framework of the parties involved.
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