Peter Obi step down for Atiku debate deepens as the NDC candidate says opposition parties, not individual candidates, must decide any 2027 alliance
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, explained on Thursday, September 10, 2026, why he would not step down for African Democratic Congress, ADC, candidate Atiku Abubakar ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, saying any decision to unite behind one opposition candidate must now involve the political parties rather than the individuals.
Also read: Peter Obi Challenges Tinubu, Vows Direct Leadership in 2027
Obi made the clarification during an interview with Arise Television while discussing the prospects of opposition cooperation ahead of the February 20, 2027 election.
Asked whether he would consider stepping aside for Atiku, the former Anambra State governor said the political situation had moved beyond a personal decision between two politicians.
“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 him as you are now talking about parties coming together,” Obi said.
The NDC candidate explained that both politicians are now representing separate political structures, making any possible arrangement a matter for the parties to negotiate.
“All those parties have candidates, so it’s no longer me as Peter talking. It’s like a situation where you have two corporations coming together; it’s no longer two CEOs going for a drink and saying we are going to work together,” he added.
Obi said the issue should therefore not be interpreted as a personal refusal to make concessions.
“It’s not me saying I don’t want to be this or that; no, we have passed that stage,” he said.
The comments come amid renewed efforts by opposition figures to build a broad political platform capable of challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the governing All Progressives Congress in 2027.
Obi and Atiku have a shared political history. Both men contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, although Obi later left the PDP and established himself as the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in that election.
Tinubu won the 2023 election, while Atiku finished second and Obi third.
Ahead of the next election, discussions over a possible opposition alliance have again raised questions about whether one of the leading candidates could withdraw in favour of another.
Obi has consistently rejected suggestions that he had agreed to become Atiku’s running mate.
He previously described reports suggesting that he had rejected an offer to serve as Atiku’s vice-presidential candidate as a misrepresentation of his position.
“My statement was unequivocal, and I am genuinely surprised by the misrepresentation of my words. For the avoidance of doubt, I never stated at any time that I would be vice president to anyone and it’s unequivocal,” Obi said.
He also maintained that there was never a formal opportunity for him to accept or reject such an offer.
“Who said so? Where? 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 said.
Obi’s latest position suggests that any agreement between his camp and Atiku’s ADC would require broader political negotiations rather than a private arrangement between the two presidential hopefuls.
That distinction could prove important as opposition parties weigh their options ahead of the election, particularly amid calls for a single candidate to maximise the opposition vote.
For now, Obi remains the NDC’s presidential candidate, while Atiku is pursuing the presidency under the ADC platform.
Also read: Peter Obi Challenges Tinubu, Vows Direct Leadership in 2027
With the 2027 contest gradually taking shape, the question of whether the opposition can overcome competing ambitions and agree on a common candidate is likely to remain one of the defining political debates in the months ahead.
