2027: No political deal with Jonathan to unseat Tinubu, says Obi

Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has refuted claims that he is forming a political alliance with former President Goodluck Jonathan in preparation for the 2027 general elections.

Speaking through his media aide and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, Obi made it clear that no pact or agreement exists between him and the former president to challenge the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Tanko’s clarification came in response to growing political speculation following a recent closed-door meeting between Obi and Jonathan in Abuja. The meeting, which was said to be private, sparked rumours of a potential opposition realignment ahead of the next election cycle.

He said, “My principal and the former president have a very good working relationship and they know each other very well. So seeing them talk to each other does not mean anything. And it should not be translated to mean anything other than a platonic discussion on how to move this country forward.

“But I don’t think there’s anything more than that. No discussion or pact around 2027. Even when they met in Ghana, I was there. So there was nothing like that.”

The remark comes amid mounting anxiety within the opposition bloc, which has been exploring a consensus strategy to challenge Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.

On social media, supporters of both politicians have engaged in heated debates, urging either Obi or Jonathan to step aside for the other in what many perceive as a test of opposition unity.

Obi had, on September 11, met with Jonathan in Abuja, describing him on his official X handle as his “elder brother, a statesman, and leader.” The Labour Party flagbearer said their “fruitful” meeting centred on the state of the nation.

Although neither disclosed details of the conversation, the parley came amid intensifying criticism of Tinubu’s administration and uncertainty over Nigeria’s economic direction.

Jonathan, who led Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, has in recent years taken on the role of an African statesman, mediating in political crises and promoting democracy across the continent.

Obi, whose performance in the 2023 presidential election disrupted Nigeria’s long-standing two-party structure, has continued high-level consultations across the country moves widely interpreted as part of his early groundwork for 2027.