Peter Obi Gives Condition To Concede Defeat in 2027 Election
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said he will concede defeat in the 2027 presidential election if the poll is free, fair and credible.
Obi made the position known during an interview with Arise Television aired on Thursday, while responding to a question on whether he would accept the outcome if he lost the election.
The former Anambra State governor said he would respect the decision of Nigerians provided the election reflected their genuine choice.
“If the election is free, fair, and credible, I will. It’s the people who will decide who they want to serve them, and I will respect the will of the people,” Obi said.
Asked why he did not concede after the 2023 presidential election, Obi maintained that he had won the poll and said he would continue to hold that position.
“I did win. And as long as I live, I will maintain that I won the 2023 presidential election,” he said.
The NDC candidate also dismissed claims that he had rejected an offer to become the running mate to the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 election.
Obi said he was not a member of any political party at the time when such an arrangement could have been offered to him.
“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,” he said.
The former governor was also asked whether he would step down from the presidential race to support Atiku.
He explained that the matter had moved beyond individual candidates, arguing that any potential alliance would now involve political parties rather than a personal agreement between him and Atiku.
“Do you know where we are now? 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,” Obi said.
“It’s no longer me or him, as you are now talking about parties coming together. All those parties have candidates, so it’s no longer me as Peter talking.
“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.’ It’s not me saying I don’t want to be this or that. No, we have passed that stage.”
Obi, who has previously advocated political restructuring, also criticised the practice of Nigerian leaders spending vacations abroad.
He argued that a Nigerian president should use such periods to visit different parts of the country, engage stakeholders and assess challenges confronting citizens.
“Nigerian president must spend his vacation in Nigeria. We cannot continue with this nonsense,” he said.
Obi said that, if elected president, he would visit other countries for official engagements but would spend his holidays within Nigeria.
He cited insecurity and poor infrastructure as issues that should compel the president to spend more time engaging directly with affected communities.
He said the president could visit states such as Zamfara, Borno, Anambra, Benue, Plateau and Kano to meet stakeholders and discuss pressing national challenges.
According to Obi, such visits should involve sustained engagements rather than brief appearances, particularly in areas affected by killings and other crises.
He also said he would spend Sallah in Sokoto and engage the Sultan and other stakeholders as part of efforts to promote national dialogue and unity.
