Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, has stated that no merger agreement currently exists between his party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), or any other political group.
Obi clarified this during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday morning, addressing the state of the nation.
The former governor of Anambra State emphasized that no formal arrangement has been established with any other political party. He called on all patriotic Nigerians in the political sphere to unite in 2027 to challenge and defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of mismanaging the country’s resources.
Obi described the prevailing security situation as dire, lamenting the needless loss of lives due to banditry, terrorism, and kidnappings. He also criticized the high levels of corruption and rising cost of governance, which he said have led to an unprecedented increase in public debt under President Bola Tinubu’s APC administration.
He further accused government officials of misusing public funds through frequent foreign trips in 2024, contributing to economic mismanagement.
In the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu emerged victorious in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states, securing the highest vote count with 8,794,726 votes, nearly two million more than his closest challenger, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. Atiku, a six-time presidential contender, garnered 6,984,520 votes, while Obi, in his first presidential run, achieved an impressive 6,101,533 votes. NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, finished fourth with 1,496,687 votes, winning only in Kano.
Notably, both Obi and Kwankwaso were members of the PDP before the election but left the party due to irreconcilable differences.