2027 Presidency: Calls For Unity Grow Amid Labour Party’s Stance On Peter Obi’s Ticket

Amid growing calls for a united front to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027, the Labour Party (LP) has insisted that its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will not receive an automatic ticket.

Advocates for change argue that only a coalition of the major opposition parties can unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Denials of Merger Rumours

Recent reports suggested that the presidential candidates in the 2023 election of Labour Party, Peter Obi, the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, were negotiating an alliance for 2027.

These claims included an alleged agreement for Kwankwaso and Atiku to serve as president for four years each, followed by an eight-year tenure for Obi.

However, both Kwankwaso and Obi have dismissed the rumours.

Speaking to BBC Hausa, Kwankwaso denied any such arrangement, stating that past election events should caution leaders against pre-selecting candidates.

Similarly, Obi, during a press conference in Abuja, confirmed no merger talks but called on opposition parties to unite against the APC-led government.

PDP Chieftain Advocates for Unity

A PDP chieftain from Benue South, Mathias Adache, who spoke with DAILY POST on Saturday, stressed that a fragmented opposition cannot defeat Tinubu in 2027.

He attributed the 2023 election loss to a lack of unity and urged opposition leaders to prioritise national interest over personal ambitions.

Adache said, “There is no way the PDP or Labour Party can defeat Tinubu in 2027 if they don’t come together. They tried this thing individually in 2023 but it didn’t work for us, so what magic do they want to do in 2027?

“There is power in unity, until we unite against our common enemies, we may never get out of this mess.

“Greediness is the problem with some of our politicians. Instead of having the interest of the nation at heart, they are being sponsored by their selfish interests.

“Someone like His Excellency Atiku Abubakar should not be talking about contesting for presidency in this country again if he really has the interest of the nation at heart. I expected him to organize the opposition parties and be their leader.

“Don’t be surprised if you hear that the ruling party is behind the confusion we have here and there, otherwise, how difficult is it for these people to come together and sack the APC?

“The truth is that APC knows that the moment these opposition figures are able to reach agreement, their tenure will be over.

“They know this because it was the same strategy that brought them into power in 2015. Without the alliance of other parties, only ACN as it was then, could not have removed former president Jonathan.

“Their greatest nightmare is if PDP, LP and NNPP come together. But they will spend billions to make sure it never happens.”

Labour Party Blames Division for 2023 Loss

Labour Party member Henry Ternenge echoed Adache’s sentiments, blaming the 2023 loss on a divided opposition.

He highlighted that the combined votes of Atiku, Obi, and Kwankwaso exceeded Tinubu’s total, suggesting the outcome would have been different under a unified opposition.

Ternenge said, “The opposition will always find elections difficult as long as we continue to operate a multi-party system.

“No matter the rigging, this illegitimate government wouldn’t have emerged in 2023 if we only had one opposition party.

“In that 2023 election, Atiku scored over 6.9 million votes, Peter Obi got 6.1 million votes and Kwankwaso also scored 1.4 million votes then Tinubu who won the election got 8.7 million votes.

“This tells you that Tinubu didn’t win the majority of votes cast. If you sum Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso’s votes, you will have over 14 million votes.

“This means 14 million people voted against Tinubu, while only 8 million voted for him.

“He was able to win because the 14 million votes were divided. If it was a two-party system as we have in the US and other countries, Tinubu wouldn’t have won that election.

“I expected that by now, these opposition figures would have teamed up and started preparing to remove this APC but they are not ready.

“I read somewhere where the ruling party said that no magic would make Tinubu lose the election in 2027. They are saying this because they know that these people cannot come together.”

No Automatic Ticket for Peter Obi

Despite the call for opposition unity, the Labour Party has maintained that Peter Obi will not automatically secure its 2027 presidential ticket.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, clarified that all positions within the party, including the presidential candidacy, are open for contest.

“No political party gives automatic tickets, all positions are up for contest,” Ifoh said in a chat with DAILY POST on Saturday.