2027: Obi gives condition for merger with PDP

The presidential candidate of the 2023 Labour Party (LP) in last year’s general elections, Peter Obi, has said the possibility of a merger between the LP and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) depends solely on the merger being in the interest of the country.

In an interview on NoireTV-GlobalBlackTV, Obi also reacted to the prospect of being supported as a Southeast candidate in the 2027 presidential election by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s 2023 flagbearer.

According to him, the condition for the merger must be in the interest of the country and not just for elections’ sake or to just capture power.

His comment was coming on the heels of his recent meeting with Atiku and the response of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the duo of Atiku and Obi were united by their mutual desperation to be president of Nigeria.

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“If the merger is to be able to govern Nigeria properly and unlock all those things that will make Nigeria a better place, I’m for it. If it’s just a merger for election or state capture, I’m not for it or part of it. I don’t want to be part of anything like that,” Obi said.

He also commended Atiku’s statement about potentially supporting him as a result of the South-East candidate, saying, “I commend him and I’m grateful for his statements, especially where he said he will support me if it (the presidential ticket) goes to the South East.”

He said his primary concern is not personal ambition or political manoeuvring, but rather the well-being of Nigeria and its people.

“I’m not desperate to be president; I’m desperate to see Nigeria work, especially for the poor people because we have a lot of potential,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of unity and cooperation among individuals and parties, but only if the objective is to build a better Nigeria.

“It might be at the party level, it might be at the individual level, it might be at any level, but we must come together to be able to build a better Nigeria,” Obi said.