The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has dismissed reports claiming he is in discussions with former President Goodluck Jonathan to form a political alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi’s media aide and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, made the clarification in an interview with The PUNCH on Monday, stressing that no agreement or political arrangement exists between the two leaders to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the next election.
“My principal and the former president have a very good working relationship and they know each other very well. So, seeing them talk to each other does not mean anything,” Tanko explained.
“It should not be translated to mean anything other than a platonic discussion on how to move this country forward. But I don’t think there’s anything more than that. No discussion or pact around 2027. Even when they met in Ghana, I was there — so there was nothing like that.”
Background of the Rumour
Speculations about a possible alliance between Obi and Jonathan surfaced after the two politicians met in September. Following the meeting, Obi had shared a brief statement online, describing their encounter as “fruitful” and focused on national issues.
“Today in Abuja, I met with my very dear elder brother, statesman, and leader, former President Goodluck Jonathan. We had a fruitful closed-door meeting and discussed the state of our dear nation,” Obi had written.
However, Tanko clarified that the meeting was purely a courtesy visit and bore no political undertone.
Renewed Calls for Jonathan’s Return
In recent weeks, political discussions have intensified around a possible comeback bid by Jonathan in 2027. Various groups and loyalists within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have reportedly urged him to recontest the presidency, nearly a decade after his 2015 election defeat.
A PDP chieftain and close ally of the former president told Vanguard in August that efforts to draft Jonathan back into the race were at an advanced stage, claiming that he had tentatively agreed to run in order to tackle Nigeria’s worsening poverty, economic hardship, and insecurity.
Despite these claims, Peter Obi’s camp insists there is no alliance or merger plan between the two leaders, maintaining that Obi remains focused on his Labour Party agenda and national reform efforts ahead of 2027.
