Peter Obi says he is not bothered by talk that former President Goodluck Jonathan might run for president in 2027, insisting his energy goes into planning how to rebuild Nigeria and fix its problems.
The former Anambra governor spoke after the Nigeria Democratic Congress screened him at its Abuja headquarters on Tuesday night as part of preparations for the party's 2027 presidential primaries. The screening, chaired by former Ebonyi State Governor Sam Egwu, ran past 10pm and lasted more than two hours.
Obi pushed back against suggestions he had already become the party's consensus candidate. He said the NDC opened the process democratically when it released nomination forms, he bought one, and so far he is the only person who has expressed interest. "How can it be based on consensus? The party opened up the expression of interest forms for people to buy. I bought the form. As the party said, I'm the only one who expressed interest. That's it," he said.
On the possibility of Jonathan entering the race, Obi took a different tone. He said democracy should allow any qualified Nigerian to offer themselves for public service. "Democracy is about people offering themselves for service and being voted for. I'm not in any way going around looking for who is contesting. I'm concentrating on how to build a better Nigeria," he said.
During the screening, Obi laid out what he wants for the country. He said Nigeria must become more secure, more united, and economically stable through what he called inclusive governance and proper use of the federal character principle. He named the big problems holding the country back: insecurity, poverty, and corruption. All three, he said, must be tackled decisively.
He painted a picture of the Nigeria he wants to create. "We want to see a country where mothers no longer fear when their children go to school. We want Nigerians to travel all over the country without fear," Obi said.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate also spoke about the economic pain Nigerians face right now. He said millions of people go to bed each night not knowing where their next meal will come from, and he said that reality must change. He blamed what he called the turning of public assets into private wealth as part of the problem. "So many Nigerians go to bed not knowing where the next meal will come from. That must change. We must stop turning public assets into private wealth," he added.
Obi also praised the NDC for running what he described as a transparent and credible screening process. He said the party was showing what internal democracy looks like by sticking to its procedures. "At NDC, we are choosing to do things properly. When we say there is going to be a screening, there is going to be a screening. That is democracy in action," he said.
The NDC is expected to continue screening other candidates ahead of its presidential primaries for the 2027 election.
