The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has officially declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election, reaffirming his commitment to serve only a single four-year term if elected.

Obi made the announcement during a live interactive session on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday night, addressing thousands of his supporters in Nigeria and across the diaspora.

The session was followed by an official statement released on Monday by his spokesman, Ibrahim Umar of the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR).

In the statement, the former Anambra State governor also dismissed speculations of a potential joint ticket with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

“I have never discussed nor agreed to run on a joint ticket with Atiku,” Obi clarified.

However, he acknowledged ongoing coalition talks with other political interests, emphasizing that any alliance must be focused on resolving Nigeria’s most pressing challenges, such as insecurity, economic stagnation, and food insecurity.

“If the coalition is not about stopping the killings in Benue, Zamfara, how to revive our economy, how to make our industries productive, how to put food on the tables of Nigerians… count me out,” he declared, decrying the worsening security situation nationwide.

Obi pledged to stabilize Nigeria within two years if elected president, stressing the need for Nigerian leaders to prioritize national development.

“Leaders of Nigeria should sit down in Nigeria and fix Nigeria,” he said.

On internal party affairs, Obi expressed support for efforts by Labour Party stakeholders to secure the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recognition of the Nenadi Usman-led faction of the party, in line with a recent Supreme Court ruling.

He also reaffirmed his belief in power rotation between Nigeria’s regions, saying, “I believe in the rotation of government between North and South. I implemented it in Anambra as a governor.”

Reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to St. Lucia, Obi criticized the trip as a misplacement of priorities.

“St. Lucia is about the size of the 10th largest city in Nigeria, Ilorin. Yet, the President is spending eight nights there. Since assuming office, Tinubu has not spent one night outside Lagos in any other Nigerian state,” he remarked.

Looking ahead to the 2027 polls, Obi assured supporters of a non-violent and transparent campaign.

“We will do things differently in 2027. We will insist the right thing is done before results are announced in Abuja. Our votes will count,” he said.

Outlining his top priorities for the first 100 days in office, Obi listed security, education, and poverty eradication as key focus areas. He also vowed to reduce the cost of governance, fight corruption, and promote transparency.

“My family will not be involved in corruption. Funds will be channelled into key critical sectors,” he assured.

Obi further promised to discourage political defections and strengthen opposition politics.

“There will be no defection of elected officials to other parties under my leadership,” he stated.

Reflecting on his time as governor of Anambra State, Obi said, “Wherever there was an issue, I was there physically. Anybody who wants to serve must be ready to put their life on the line for Nigerians.”

He concluded with a remark on Nigeria’s global standing: “Nobody abroad takes you seriously if you don’t have a stable government.”