A former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has declared his willingness to consider a vice-presidential role if he finds someone who can perform better than him.
The former Anambra governor stated this in a recent exclusive interview with New Central TV.
DAILY GIST recalls that Obi in May held a closed-door meeting with Atiku on possible alliance ahead of 2027.
Obi was a member of the PDP until 2022 when he defected to the Labour Party to pursue his presidential ambition.
He came third behind Atiku in the February 23 presidential election, which was won by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
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Atiku blamed Obi’s defection from the PDP for his loss to Tinubu.
Pundits argued that Atiku’s 6,984,520 votes and Obi’s 6,101,533 votes would have secured victory against Tinubu, who garnered 8,794,726 votes
Speaking during the interview, Obi said his ambition is to get people to move Nigeria forward in the next general election in 2027.
Answering questions on the possibility of him accepting to be a vice-presidential candidate in 2027, Obi said: “Quite frankly, for me, I’m not desperate to be Nigerian president. I am desperate to see Nigeria work. If I see people who can do the work better, I will (consider being Vice President).
“I even have people who say I should not come out in 2027 and I said to them, offer yourself. And we will not put everybody on a scale.”
Obi insisted that he would not leave the Labour Party but would consider a merger with other politicians if their purposes resonate with his political desire.
He continued: “Yes, I would be here (at Labour Party), and if anybody is coming for us to negotiate or to come together, he must tell me what his purposes.
“I will not join anybody for state capture or for winning the election. I want anybody to tell me how are we going to ensure that no child is left behind, how are we going to put those millions of out-of-school children back in school.”
Meanwhile, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party), led by Julius Abure, on Wednesday called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Security Adviser (NSA) to investigate Obi, activist Aisha Yesufu, Pastor Itua Ighodalo, and leaders of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, for the alleged misappropriation of campaign funds in 2023.
At a press briefing in Abeokuta, the LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, raised concerns over the diversion of over N12 billion and $15 million in donations meant for the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential campaign.
The party’s leadership accused Aisha Yesufu and Ighodalo of working alongside Obi to siphon campaign donations.
Arabambi described Obi as a “political merchant,” orchestrating the fraudulent mismanagement of funds.
He also criticised Yesufu’s recent public remarks defending herself, dismissing them as attempts to obscure the truth.
The allegations extended to leaders of Afenifere, including Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Akin Osuntokun, and Sola Ebiseni, whom Arabambi accused of retaining over N600 million in private accounts.
The funds, he claimed, were meant for the party’s campaign but were diverted under Obi’s direction.
