Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has clarified his stance on the 2027 general elections, stating that he is not pursuing any political office but is committed to a coalition against poverty, hunger, poor healthcare, and failing education systems in Nigeria.
Speaking during a visit to the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kubwa in Abuja on Monday, the former Anambra State governor emphasized his priorities.
“I am in a coalition against hunger, in coalition against poverty, coalition against bad state of health. Politics for me is not about position, it is about doing the right thing,” Obi stated.
He criticized the national discourse, noting that it often centers around politics and power rather than urgent developmental issues.
“In this country we talk about politics and abandon what we should be talking about. What we should be talking about is how we are going to educate the children,” he added.
Obi, who came third in the 2023 presidential election behind President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, dismissed reports suggesting he had entered into a political agreement to serve as a vice-presidential candidate in 2027. He described such claims as distractions motivated by selfish political ambitions.
“There is no agreement to deputise anyone,” he said, maintaining that his focus remains on issues affecting the everyday lives of Nigerians.
During the visit, Obi also made a financial contribution toward a school project within the diocese. He highlighted the critical role the church continues to play in education due to government failure to provide free and quality basic education.
“The church has had to bear the huge burden because the government has failed woefully to deliver free and qualitative basic education,” he said.
Obi was recently seen exchanging pleasantries with President Tinubu and former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi at the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican. Addressing the interaction, Obi clarified that it was a matter of protocol and respect, not political alliance.
“I am not an enemy of the President,” he said. “The only enemy I have is corruption and corrupt leaders who have made life difficult for the Nigerian people.”
