Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has said that opposition parties must agree on clear goals and shared values if they want to win the trust of Nigerians ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a recent video interview, Obi said he supports the ADC-led coalition but stressed that the group must be built on solid principles. He said that without clear plans and honest conversations, the coalition could face problems down the line.
Obi pointed out that the people in the coalition are not new to politics. He said they must bring fresh ideas that can help rebuild public trust. He also mentioned that leaders like David Mark and Atiku Abubakar have the experience to guide the group, but that proper planning and teamwork are still needed.
He said the opposition must offer more than just a promise to replace the current government. They need to show what they will do differently and how they plan to help everyday Nigerians.
Obi said: “Today, I’m a member of the Labour Party, and I subscribe to the coalition, ADC Coalition for the 2027 election. I believe in it. But as much as I believe in it, I need to know the fundamentals that we all agree to respect. What are we going to do for the average Nigerian person? Because we are not different people. We are still part of the political class. So it’s not as if they were a bunch of new people.”
He added: “Yes, I respect all those who are leaders there. Of course, our Chairman, David Mark, is one of those people I respect, and I believe he has the political sagacity to lead the party. And so are so many others we have there, people like my own leader, Atiku, somebody for whom I have all my respect and believe in the good of Nigeria. But in all this, there are still some fine lines that we need to respect, where things must be done properly, where we must sit down and talk about where we’re driving the country to. Because, like I said, we are not new people; we’re the same political class. So we must come with new ideas that Nigerians will trust.”
Obi said the coalition must offer something real and different. He said the country needs leaders with “competence, character, capacity, commitment, and compassion” to lead the way forward.
He warned against simply removing the current government without a clear plan. “We can’t just say, ‘Oh, we don’t like what these people are doing. Let them go.’ If they go, what is the alternative? We’ve done that in 2015: ‘Let this man just go,’ and he went.”
He continued: “So we now have to be clear. What are we getting? Can we trust those who are going to drive this vehicle and do what they’re saying? Where have they said it before?”
Obi said he is not chasing power for himself. “It all depends. I am not desperate to become the president of Nigeria. I’m desperate to see Nigeria work. I want to see what it is that they are offering. Today, we have what we can call unsigned agreements about the presidency, about rotation of offices. This is why this person will come from here, this person will come from there. All these things need to be organised. The reason why it needs to be organised is that you don’t need to create confusion for the future.”
He ended by saying the focus should be on what is best for the country. “Today, it’s about the future. So if we’re going to do anything, let’s look at the future. Let’s not look at what is going to benefit us.”
“Even if it takes us one week to agree, we do. If Nigerians want this country to change, we can make a change. It doesn’t matter how. Even if we start three months, six months, eight months, or one year before the election, we can still prepare.”
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