Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has said he will contest the 2027 presidential election under the Labour Party.
Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, made the statement in a video that has gone viral on social media.
When asked what party he would run with in the next election, Obi replied, “I will still continue to run in the Labour Party. I’m a member of the Labour Party.”
He also spoke about the crisis affecting political parties in Nigeria, blaming it on the government.
“What is happening in the Labour Party and the PDP is caused by the government, quote me anywhere,” he said.
Obi explained that during late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s time, issues within parties were handled better. He said, “We had a problem in our party before, in the past. Yar’Adua was the President. I went to him then; he called the INEC chairman (Prof. Maurice Iwu) and told him, ‘I don’t want any problem in any party.’ We were forced to fix it.”
He added that the current problems in political parties are “deliberate problems caused by the system,” and promised to fix them if elected.
“These are some of the things I want to clean up if I have the opportunity,” Obi said. “Parties will function very well because you can’t have a system working without a strong opposition.”
He urged Nigerians to take charge of their voting process, saying, “Even if agents are paid by political parties to look after their interests, the ultimate decision about whether the people’s votes count rests with voters.”
Obi also called on Nigerian youths not to lose hope, saying that those benefiting from the current system will always resist change.
He suggested that there should be a retirement age for politicians. According to him, he would be 65 years old by 2027 and does not want to contest elections in his 70s.
“I believe there should be an age to leave the stage. I will be 65 in 2027. I don’t want to be contesting in my 70s,” he said.
Obi’s declaration comes as the Labour Party continues to face internal leadership issues and as Nigerians begin to focus on who will challenge the ruling party in the next general election.
