Obi reiterates no political pact with Jonathan amid heated debate among their supporters
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Peter Obi has reiterated that there is no political alliance between him and Goodluck Jonathan despite his recent visit to the former President which has generated huge chatter among their supporters.
Obidient Movement Worldwide National Coordinator Yunusa Tanko made the latest clarification to quell rumour of such a pact for getting rid of Bola Tinubu from the Presidential Villa through the ballot box in 2027.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar last week floated the idea that his joint ticket with the former Anambra Governor is the strongest opposition to dislodge Tinubu, whom they both contested against (separately) in 2023.
Tanko’s clarification at the weekend comes on the heels of tension in political camps over the Atiku bid for Obi on the one hand and the speculated agreement between Obi and Jonathan on the other hand, sparked by their closed-door meeting in Abuja last month.
“My principal and the former President have a very good working relationship and they know each other very well. So seeing them talk to each other does not mean anything. And it should not be translated to mean anything other than a platonic discussion on how to move this country forward,” Tanko told The PUNCH.
“But I don’t think there’s anything more than that. No discussion or pact around 2027. Even when they met in Ghana, I was there. So there was nothing like that.”
Tanko was speaking on the anxiety in the opposition bloc that is exploring a consensus strategy to challenge Tinubu and his All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Supporters of Obi and Jonathan have engaged in heated debate on social media, urging one man to step down for the other in a test of opposition unity.
Obi on September 11 met with Jonathan in Abuja and afterward described him on X as his “elder brother, a statesman, and leader” with whom he had a “fruitful” meeting centred on the state of the nation.
Neither disclosed details of their discussion but the meeting coincided with intensifying national criticism of Tinubu and uncertainty over Nigeria’s economic direction.
Jonathan, who led Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, has in recent years taken on the role of an African statesman, mediating in political crises and promoting democracy across the continent.
Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election disrupted Nigeria’s long-standing two-party structure and has continued high-level consultations across the country interpreted as part of his early groundwork for 2027.
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