‘Very slim chances’ – Peter Obi speaks of contesting for president in 2031

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has explained why he is unlikely to contest for the presidency again in 2031.

Obi said the country’s informal power rotation arrangement between the North and the South would largely determine whether he seeks the nation’s highest office beyond 2027.

Speaking during an interview with media personality Rufai Oseni, the former Anambra State governor said the chances of him contesting in 2031 are “very slim.”

According to him, if the presidency returns to the North after the 2027 election, it would likely remain there until 2035, by which time he would be about 78 years old when power is expected to rotate back to the South.

Asked whether he would run again if unsuccessful in 2027, Obi said:

“For me, it depends on what happens. I don’t want to say it because people might think that I’m saying it because of some people.

“You will not believe it, this morning a secondary school boy asked me, ‘If you run this time, will you run again?’ I said no, and he asked why.

“I told him that if I don’t become president now, by the next time it comes, believing in the zoning formula, it will go to the North. If it goes to the North in 2031, by the time it comes back to the South, I will be 78 years old, and I don’t think I would be doing this at that age.”

Obi, however, noted that the situation could change if the presidency remains in the South after the 2027 election.

“If it’s still in the South in the next election, maybe. But the probability is very slim. I don’t know until after the outcome of the 2027 election,” he added.

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