The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has explained why he may not seek the presidency again after the 2027 general election.
Obi said the possibility of contesting in 2031 was “very slim,” citing Nigeria’s informal zoning arrangement that rotates the presidency between the North and the South.
The former Anambra State governor spoke during an interview with media personality Rufai Oseni.
Asked whether he would contest again if he lost the 2027 election, Obi said his decision would depend on the outcome of the poll and where the presidency would be zoned in 2031.
“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,” he said.
Obi recalled that a secondary school student had asked him whether he would contest again after 2027.
According to him, if the presidency shifts to the North in 2031, he would be 78 by the time it is expected to return to the South.
“I said because if I don’t run now, by the next time it comes, believing in the zoning formula, it will go to the North,” Obi explained.
“If it goes North in 2031, by the time it comes again to the South, I will be 78 years old, and I don’t think I would be doing this at that age.”
He, however, said he might consider another presidential bid if the ticket remained in the South in 2031.
“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.
