Obi: I’ll Run as Presidential Candidate in 2027

• Says no nation succeeds with recklessness *Slams Tinubu over multiple budgets

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Presidential hopeful, Mr. Peter Obi, has, again, declared that he would contest the 2027 presidential election, as the leading candidate, insisting that he has no intention of playing a secondary role.

Obi made the declaration while campaigning for the candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

The former Anambra State governor recently left Labour Party for ADC, a coalition platform under which he has intensified consultations ahead of the 2027 polls.

His supporters, including members of the Obidient Movement, have been urging the leadership of ADC to present Obi as the party’s presidential candidate. Many of them have openly insisted on an “Obi or nothing” position.

The stance prompted ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, to caution supporters against inflammatory rhetoric, urging them to prioritise party unity.

There have also been speculations that some political leaders were working towards presenting an Obi-Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso presidential ticket on the platform of ADC, with an alternative plan to adopt another party should the pairing fail to dislodge former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was considered the favourite for the ADC ticket.

Kwankwaso’s refusal to join All Progressives Congress (APC) had been interpreted by some political observers as lending weight to the speculation of an emerging Obi-Kwankwaso alliance.

At the same time, supporters of Atiku renewed calls on Obi and his followers to consider accepting a vice presidential slot, similar to the arrangement reached in 2019.

However, in a viral video, Obi appeared to dismiss such suggestions, telling supporters that he was contesting the next election as the principal candidate.

Urging them to vote for his preferred candidate in the AMAC poll, Obi said their support was crucial to his political journey.

He said, “You see this coming election, support us in AMAC; it will help me. Your support in AMAC is critical to our journey. I am involved and contesting the coming election as number one. When I come back, you will see. I assure you.”

Obi also criticised the federal government for “fiscal recklessness” in the management of Nigeria’s national budgets.

In a statement posted on X, Obi questioned which budget Nigeria was operating, ahead of the expected approval of the 2026 national budget by Senate on March 17.

He stated that since 2023, Nigeria had been implementing budget items from multiple fiscal years simultaneously, describing the practice as abnormal and harmful to public finance management.

According to Obi, Tinubu inherited a N21.83 trillion budget in 2023, but later introduced a N2.17 trillion supplementary budget, which he said prioritised benefits for public office holders, despite widespread economic hardship.

Obi stated that the pattern continued, with the approval of N35.06 trillion for 2024 and N54.99 trillion for 2025, bringing total appropriations under the current administration to over N114 trillion in less than three years.

Obi expressed concern that despite the massive spending, budget implementation remained below 50 per cent, leading to what he described as a crisis of credibility in public finance.