Middle Belt Forum Expresses Support For Peter Obi Over 2027: Presidential Ambition
The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, says the North may have no better option than to support Peter Obi, especially with his pledge to serve only one term if elected.
... As Lamido also says he's open to supporting Obi if Coalition picks him
The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, says the North may have no better option than to support Peter Obi, especially with his pledge to serve only one term if elected.
It also noted Obi’s record of keeping promises as a reason for the possible support, noting that former President Goodluck Jonathan could be another viable option if allowed to contest under the law, which would also restrict him to one term.
MBF spoke against the backdrop of the pledge by a former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain and former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, to support Obi, if the Coalition that formed the African Democratic Congress, ADC, picked him as the party's flagbearer in 2027.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and presidential flagbearer of the Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 general election, had pledged to serve only one term of four years, if picked by the ADC to fly its flag in 2027.
Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has stated that he is open to supporting Obi if he emerges as the preferred candidate of the planned opposition coalition.
But, Lamido made it clear that his loyalty to the PDP remains intact but stressed the need for competence and vision over ethnic or regional sentiments.
He explained that leadership should not be based on zoning or rotation but on who can move Nigeria forward, pointing out that, zoning, originally introduced by the PDP to restore trust after the annulment of the June 12 election, has now become a burden.
But, Lamido made it clear that his loyalty to the PDP remains intact but stressed the need for competence and vision over ethnic or regional sentiments.
He explained that leadership should not be based on zoning or rotation but on who can move Nigeria forward, pointing out that, zoning, originally introduced by the PDP to restore trust after the annulment of the June 12 election, has now become a burden.
Former Minister of Information, Ibrahim Nakande, however, dismissed Obi’s one-term pledge as mere politics, even as he acknowledged that Obi had support across Nigeria, including the North, questioning whether such a promise could be trusted or accepted by his own region.
Meanwhile, an elder statesman Tanko Yakasai offered a different angle, saying that if Nigerians want power to return to the North, President Tinubu would be the best person to hand it over to them, given that the constitution only allows him two terms.
Meanwhile, an elder statesman Tanko Yakasai offered a different angle, saying that if Nigerians want power to return to the North, President Tinubu would be the best person to hand it over to them, given that the constitution only allows him two terms.
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