The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, on Monday attended the inauguration of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s presidential campaign office in Abuja, in a spectacular projection of sportsmanship ahead of the 2027 presidential election in which both of them are on the ballot as rival candidates.
At the event, which may prove critical to keeping the window for future political alliance between the two men open, Mr Obi called for unity among presidential candidates and urged Nigerians to support whoever emerges victorious from a free, fair and credible election.
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Mr Obi’s presence at the event comes as political activities intensify ahead of the January 2027 election, with several opposition figures already positioning themselves for the contest.
The event portrays a friendly meeting between an old-timer presidential candidate and a newcomer to the presidential race.
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While Mr Obi is making his second attempt at the presidency in 2027 after coming third in the 2023 election as Labour Party’s candidate, Mr Makinde is going into the presidential race for the first time on the platform of the Allied People’s Movement (APM).
Mr Makinde is billed to complete his second and final term, making a total of eight years, as Oyo State governor in May 2027, when he hopes to transit into Nigeria’s president.
Mr Obi, a former Anambra State governor, said political leaders should put aside personal and partisan interests and work together to address the country’s challenges, particularly poverty, hunger and insecurity.
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“We want the people of Nigeria to make their choice. Whoever they choose, all of us will come together to build a new Nigeria,” Mr Obi said.
He also described Mr Makinde as qualified to contest for the presidency, saying the 2027 contest should not be reduced to political quarrels or divisions.
According to him, Nigeria’s political class should focus its competition on finding solutions to the challenges confronting citizens.
“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,” said Mr Obi, who ran as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election.
Mr Abubakar, who is the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the upcoming 2027 presidential election, contested the 2019 election with Mr Obi as the vice-presidential candidate, and lost to the then-incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr Obi said Nigerians deserved a country where citizens could succeed based on their abilities rather than their political connections.
“We want a Nigeria where a child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody.”
He further called for collective action after the election, regardless of the candidate who emerges victorious, saying the country could not afford to continue on its current path.
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“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.”
The inauguration of the campaign office marks another step in Mr Makinde’s preparations for the 2027 presidential election, which he is contesting on the APM platform.
Mr Obi, who is also seeking the presidency, said political differences should not prevent candidates from working together in the interest of Nigerians.
“All of us will work as a family. And I assure you that we remain united in our rescue for our dear country, Nigeria.”
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