The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has dismissed reports claiming he is in talks with former President Goodluck Jonathan to form a political alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi’s media aide and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, clarified in an interview with The PUNCH that no such agreement or arrangement exists between the two leaders aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu.
According to Tanko, “My principal and the former president have a very good working relationship and they know each other well. So, seeing them talk to each other does not mean anything. It should not be translated to mean anything other than a platonic discussion on how to move this country forward.
“But I don’t think there’s anything more than that. No discussion or pact around 2027. Even when they met in Ghana, I was there. So, there was nothing like that,” he added.
Recall that the duo met in September, when Obi described their discussion as a fruitful closed-door meeting focused on the state of the nation.
In recent weeks, however, there have been renewed calls for Jonathan to return to the presidential race, with some political groups and allies within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reportedly urging him to contest on the party’s platform in 2027.
A close associate of the former president had told Vanguard in August that plans were already at an advanced stage, claiming Jonathan had agreed in principle to run, motivated by a desire to tackle Nigeria’s deepening poverty, economic hardship, and social challenges.
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