Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has said he is unlikely to contest the presidency after the 2027 general election.
Speaking in an interview with media personality Rufai Oseni, the former Anambra State governor said his decision is linked to Nigeria’s informal zoning arrangement, which rotates the presidency between the North and the South.
“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,” Obi said.
He recalled answering a similar question from a secondary school student, explaining that if he does not become president in 2027, the presidency is expected to shift to the North in 2031.
“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,” he said.
“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 said he could only consider another presidential bid if the presidency remained in the South in 2031, but stressed that such a scenario is unlikely.
“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 2027 election,” he said.
