I might not be alive to contest in 2027 – Peter Obi

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress for the 2027 election, Peter Obi, says he may not be alive to contest the poll, alleging that the government is frustrating his activities and targeting opposition figures.

Obi made the remarks during an interview on With Chude, which media personality Chude Jideonwo posted on X on Wednesday.

Responding to a question on whether there was a possibility he might not be a candidate in 2027, Obi said, “Not even a candidate. I might not even be alive. I’m telling you.

“Every single thing I do for a living, this government is frustrating it. Deliberately so. Everything. So, there is even a possibility, if they have the opportunity, I will not be alive.”

He, however, clarified that he was not making direct accusations but described daily experiences of obstruction.

“It’s not an accusation. I know. I get frustration every day. Because you do things that you think would be normal—it is not normal anymore.

“They won’t come directly and say, ‘Oh, we’re doing this,’ but you can see their hand in virtually everything,” Obi said.

Asked whether the government was attacking him personally, the former Anambra State governor said the alleged treatment extended to members of the opposition.

“They are attacking everybody who is in opposition personally. I am being attacked personally. Everything. Even to provide me with necessary things that I should have been entitled to, not at all,” he said.

Obi cited an incident at an airport where he claimed officials locked his car despite other vehicles being parked in the same area.

“I had a case recently at the airport, where people who work in the airport came and locked my car. And I said, ‘It’s me.’ The person in charge said he doesn’t care.

“But I said, ‘Look at the cars of other people.’ And you could see them talking to each other, as if, ‘Who is this one?’”

He further alleged that some people now avoided publicly associating with him for fear of becoming targets.

“And I see people I know at the airport, they will not greet me because they are fearing that if they greet me…”

The former Labour Party presidential candidate also claimed that some supporters had discouraged him from attending family events.

“And I have people send me invitations and say, ‘My son, my daughter is wedding, but please don’t come,’” he said.

Obi did not provide evidence to support his allegations during the interview, and the Federal Government had yet to respond to his claims as of the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, the Vice Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has criticized former Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, over his remarks on the electoral prospects of the party’s 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Northern Nigeria.

Kwankwaso, in a statement on Tuesday, described Sheriff’s comments during a Channels Television interview on Monday as disappointing, insisting that Obi had already demonstrated considerable electoral strength in the North.

“I watched with disappointment the recent interview granted by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to Channels Television on Monday,” Kwankwaso said.

“After a prolonged absence from public discourse, one would have expected that time away might have sharpened Senator Sheriff’s judgment. Regrettably, that does not appear to be the case.”

The former Kano State governor was reacting to Sheriff’s claim that Obi could not command sizeable support in Northern Nigeria.

According to Kwankwaso, Sheriff was wrong to portray himself as speaking on behalf of Northern voters.

“In the interview, the former governor claimed that Peter Obi cannot command sizeable support in Northern Nigeria. It is curious that he has appointed himself spokesperson for the Northern masses,” he said.

“For the record, in his first outing on the presidential ballot, Mr. Obi secured approximately 2.8 million votes in the region, a remarkable achievement that cannot be dismissed lightly.”

Kwankwaso added that prevailing economic hardship and dissatisfaction with the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government had strengthened the prospects of the proposed Obi-Kwankwaso alliance, which he referred to as the “OK ticket.”

“Given the current national hardships, the widespread consensus on the failure of the APC administration, and the addition of a strong Northern figure to the ticket who previously garnered 1.45 million votes in the region, the OK ticket remains a formidable force in Northern politics,” he stated.

The former presidential candidate also rejected Sheriff’s assertion that Kano voters would not support Obi.

“Let me state clearly: the good people of Kano are neither bigoted nor xenophobic. They have consistently demonstrated strong trust in the Kwankwasiyya movement and will support any credible ticket presented under its banner,” he said.

Kwankwaso urged Sheriff to focus on addressing the security and humanitarian challenges confronting Borno State rather than making what he described as divisive political remarks.

“I respectfully advise Senator Sheriff that, in future national television appearances, he would do better to speak to the serious insecurity and humanitarian challenges facing his home state, rather than making divisive and poorly considered remarks,” he added.

He maintained that the proposed “OK ticket” represented the best opportunity to reposition Nigeria.

“The OK ticket currently represents the best opportunity for Nigerians to reset the country and place it on a path of competence, unity, and progress,” Kwankwaso said.