By Kolawole Ojebisi
The 2023 Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, may have hinted at why he will not accept the deal purportedly being brokered by former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, to serve as his running mate for the 2027 general elections.
This is as Obi said the 2027 general elections may likely be his final shot at the presidency.
He spoke in a seven-minute, 16-second video clip that went viral on the party’s WhatsApp platform during an informal address to young Nigerians.
The ex-Anambra helmsman maintained that he’s not getting any younger as he would be 65 in 2027 and might not be willing to pursue public office beyond that age.
“I believe we should have a retirement age for politicians. By 2027, I will be 65. If the presidency goes back to the North in 2031, it may not return to the South until 2039 — by then, I will be 77. I wouldn’t want to run for office at that age. It would make a mess of everything,” he said.
Obi, however, noted that he is not desperate to clinch the presidential seat, stressing that he will continue to support young Nigerians who are serious about national transformation.
“Even if I’m not contesting, I will always support those of you who are committed to real change, with whatever resources I can provide,” he stated.
Though the video where Obi made these remarks became viral on Saturday, his media aide, Umar Ibrahim, confirmed it was recently recorded like sometime “around last week”.
“It’s a recent video, around last week, yes. But I can’t remember the exact day that it held,” Ibrahim said.
The former Anambra governor also urged Nigerians to take personal responsibility for defending the integrity of their votes, warning that any meaningful reform would be met with resistance from those benefitting from the current system.
The New Diplomat had reported how Obi confirmed he would contest in 2027 on the LP’s platform in the viral video.
Recall that there are speculations that Atiku, together with his supporters, is courting Obi to be his running mate for the 2027 election.
According to widespread speculation, the former Vice-President is promising to serve as president for a single-term of four years, if the coalition succeeds in wining the 2027 election, after which Atiku will back Obi to succeed him in 2031.
