No One Offered Me VP Slot, So How Could I Have Rejected It? — Peter Obi Clears Air On Atiku Alliance

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has dismissed reports that he rejected an offer to be the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Obi said no such offer was made to him, insisting that he could not have rejected a proposal that was never presented.

“I don’t know where that was said. I wasn’t even in a position where that was being offered, and I refused,” Obi said.

The former Anambra State governor spoke during an interview on Arise TV while responding to questions on a possible alliance among opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.

Obi’s comments came amid renewed discussions over the possibility of opposition parties and their presidential candidates working together to challenge the ruling party in the 2027 elections.

The NDC candidate said the issue of any possible alliance should not be reduced to negotiations between individual politicians, arguing that it would require discussions among the political parties involved.

“I’m a candidate, yes. So, my leader, Atiku, is a candidate of another party. I am a candidate for another party. So, you are talking about two parties coming together; it is no longer him or me,” he said.

Obi and Atiku were among opposition leaders who participated in the coalition that came together under the ADC in 2025.

The coalition was formed as part of efforts by opposition politicians to build a platform ahead of the 2027 elections. However, the political arrangement later changed, with Obi emerging as the presidential candidate of the NDC and Atiku becoming the ADC presidential candidate.

Addressing questions about whether he would step down for Atiku or accept the vice-presidential slot in the event of an agreement, Obi said such an arrangement would have to be considered within the broader context of an alliance between political parties.

“All those parties have candidates. So, it is a discussion. It is no longer me, as Peter is talking,” he said.

Obi compared a possible political alliance to the merger of two corporations, saying it would require more than an informal agreement between the leaders of the organisations.

“It is like a situation where two corporations are trying to come together. It is no longer something the two CEOs go to a drink and say we are going to work together. They need to look at how to bring these two corporations together,” he said.

The NDC candidate also said he remained open to being part of an arrangement that could produce a government capable of addressing the country’s economic and social challenges.

Obi said his participation in any coalition would be guided by issues such as national unity, the rule of law, accountability, education, healthcare, job creation and poverty reduction.

“I want to be part of any coalition that will make Nigeria work. That will make Nigeria productive. That will create jobs for the young ones. That will pull people out of poverty. That will make education work,” he said.

Obi was Atiku’s running mate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 presidential election.

The two politicians later pursued separate political paths in the 2023 presidential election, with Obi contesting on the platform of the Labour Party, LP, while Atiku remained the PDP presidential candidate.