Peter Obi denies rejecting Atiku’s running-mate offer, says no deal was presented

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed reports that he rejected an offer to serve as the running mate to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Obi said no such offer was ever made to him, stressing that he could not have rejected a vice-presidential arrangement that was never presented.

The NDC candidate made the clarification during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show, where he was asked to respond to reports that he had turned down an opportunity to run alongside Atiku.

“Who said so? Where? I wasn’t even in any party where that offer was on the table. I wasn’t even in a position where it was being offered and I refused,” Obi said.

He explained that the current political landscape had evolved beyond negotiations between individual politicians, noting that any possible alliance between him and Atiku would now have to involve their respective political parties.

According to Obi, while Atiku remains a presidential candidate of another political party, he is also contesting the presidency under the NDC, making any possible collaboration a matter for the parties to negotiate.

“Where we are now is that I’m a candidate, my leader Atiku is a candidate of another party, so you are talking about two parties coming together,” he said.

Obi likened the situation to a corporate merger, arguing that an alliance between the two political camps could no longer be determined simply through a personal understanding between the two politicians.

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“It’s like a situation where you have two corporations coming together. It’s no longer two CEOs going for a drink and saying, ‘We are going to work together,’” he added.The former Anambra State governor had previously stated that he never promised to accept a vice-presidential position from any politician ahead of the 2027 election.

He has, however, maintained that he remains open to working with individuals and political forces genuinely committed to rebuilding Nigeria and addressing the country’s economic and developmental challenges.

His latest comments are coming amid renewed speculation over efforts by opposition figures to forge a broad political alliance ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

With the opposition landscape still evolving, discussions over possible alliances, consensus candidates and power-sharing arrangements are expected to remain a major feature of preparations for the 2027 polls.