By Chinelo Obogo
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has given conditions that would make him accept any merger between his party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 elections.
Reacting to a statement by the presidential candidate of the PDP and former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, on the likelihood of a merger between both parties, the former Anambra State governor said during an interview with NoireTV at the weekend, that he would enter into a merger agreement with any party or individual only if it serves the greater good of Nigeria.
He commended Atiku’s willingness to support him if it benefits the southeastern region of the country and emphasised the need for any merger or alliance to be focused on improving governance and helping the poor, not just winning elections or for state capture.
“I commend Atiku for his statement especially where he said he will support me if it goes to the South East. On the issue of a merger and the coming together of parties, I have always said that as long as any merger or any coming together is to better Nigeria and for governing properly, I am for it. If it is just a merger for election or state capture, I’m not for it. I am not desperate to be president, I am desperate to see Nigeria work, especially for the poor, because we have a lot of potential.
“So, if the merger is to be able to govern Nigeria properly on all those things that will make Nigeria a better place, I am for it. If the merger is to be able to govern Nigeria properly and work for all those things that would make Nigeria become a better place, I am for it. It might be at the party level, it might be at the individual level or at any level, we must come together to be able to build a better Nigeria.”
In an interview with BBC Hausa, Atiku has been engaging Obi to discuss the possibility of a merger and that he would support anyone chosen to represent the PDP in 2027 — even if the candidate is from the south-east.
“This is to anybody that thinks there is going to be a misunderstanding between me and Obi, let me assure you that not even a small issue is going to happen between us. Also we are going to be behind anybody that will be chosen to represent us in the forthcoming elections.
“I have made it clear in my previous speeches that if our parties are going to merge to agree on a candidate from the south-east, as long as he is qualified, we will allow it,” Atiku said.