A renowned Nigerian economist, Pat Utomi, said on Thursday that former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi will run for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027, adding that he will withdraw his support if Obi accepts a vice-presidential ticket.
Utomi spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, following Obi’s defection from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), announced on Wednesday in Enugu.
Obi, who placed third in the 2023 presidential election with about six million votes, said his move to the ADC marked the start of a mission to “rescue our country and set it on the path of proper socio-economic development.”
The defection has drawn mixed reactions. Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, questioned the implications of Obi’s move for zoning of the ADC’s presidential ticket, citing the presence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the party.
Dismissing speculation that Obi could run as a vice-presidential candidate, Utomi said: “I can tell you that Peter Obi will contest for the presidency. The day he becomes somebody’s vice president, I walk away from his corner.”
Utomi also called for the introduction of an age limit for presidential candidates, proposing a maximum age of 70, arguing that the office had become a “retirement home.”
He criticised the administrations of former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, saying both had amounted to “governments in absentia.”
Utomi said he would campaign for constitutional or legal reforms to bar individuals above 70 from contesting executive offices, including the presidency and governorships.
