The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said he is not considering stepping down for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Obi, however, said the question of whether opposition candidates should unite should no longer be treated as a personal decision between individual politicians, arguing that the political parties involved must determine the way forward.
The former Anambra State governor spoke during an interview with Arise Television on Thursday, where he discussed the 2027 election, opposition cooperation, the economy, security, national unity and governance.
When asked whether he would withdraw from the presidential race in favour of Atiku, Obi said the political situation had changed because both men are now candidates of different parties.
“Do you know where we are now? 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 me, as you are now talking about parties coming together,” Obi said.
He explained that any potential merger or alliance would require discussions between the parties rather than an arrangement between the two presidential candidates alone.
“All those parties have candidates. So, it is a discussion. It is no longer me, as Peter, talking,” he said.
Obi compared the situation to two corporations seeking to merge, saying such a process would require institutional discussions rather than simply an agreement between their chief executives.
“It is like a situation where two corporations are trying to come together. It is no longer something where the two CEOs go for a drink and say, ‘We are going to work together’. They need to look at how to bring these two corporations together,” he added.
His comments come amid renewed efforts by opposition politicians to build a common platform capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election.
Obi and Atiku were previously part of wider opposition consultations surrounding the adoption of the ADC as a platform in 2025, alongside other political figures.
The latest comments suggest that any renewed cooperation between the opposition figures would depend largely on negotiations involving their respective political parties and structures.
With the 2027 election approaching, discussions over opposition unity, candidate selection and possible alliances are expected to remain central to Nigeria’s political landscape.
