Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has criticised Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, over his presence at the unveiling of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s presidential campaign office in Abuja.
Sani, who is seeking to return to the Senate under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, appeared to question Obi’s decision to attend an event organised in support of another presidential contender.
In a post on X, the former senator wrote, “Peter is selling Pepsi, and he is doing promo for Coke.”
Obi was among those who attended the unveiling of Makinde’s campaign office on Monday, where he expressed support for the governor and acknowledged his capacity to lead the country.
Makinde is seeking the presidency in the 2027 election under the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), while Obi is also in the race as the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Addressing guests at the event, Obi said Nigerians must be allowed to freely decide who they want to elect in an election that is credible, free and fair.
He also urged opposition parties and their leaders to put aside political differences and cooperate in finding solutions to the country’s economic and security challenges.
Obi described Makinde as qualified to contest for the presidency, maintaining that the final choice should be made by Nigerian voters.
“A Nigeria of unity and inclusion. We have a candidate who is contesting the presidency today: my dear brother Seyi Makinde. Is he qualified to be president? Yes,” Obi said.
He added, “What we are doing today is to show you that, for us, we don’t have desperation. We want the people of Nigeria to make their choice.
“Whoever they choose, all of us will come together to build a new Nigeria. We can’t all continue the way we are going today.
“Our people are hungry. Our people are poor. Our people are insecure. Whoever wins, genuinely, from a free, fair and credible election, we all want to work together to save this country from collapse.”
Obi also appealed to politicians to abandon unnecessary hostilities and direct their attention towards issues that affect the welfare of Nigerians.
“We don’t want politics of quarrel, politics of disagreement. Let our quarrel be to feed our people. Let our quarrel be to pull our people out of poverty,” he said.
The development comes amid growing political activity among opposition figures ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with several major players positioning themselves for the contest.
Makinde, Obi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are among the leading opposition figures seeking the presidency ahead of the 2027 election.
