Political economist Pat Utomi vowed Thursday to abandon his endorsement of Peter Obi should the former presidential contender settle for a running mate role in the 2027 elections, affirming that Obi intends to pursue the nation’s highest office directly.
Utomi, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, emphasized his stance amid Obi’s recent party switch, declaring: “I can tell you that Peter Obi will contest for the presidency. The day he becomes somebody’s vice president, I walk away from his corner. I can tell you that for a fact.”
Obi, who secured third place with roughly six million votes as the Labour Party flagbearer in the 2023 polls, officially joined the African Democratic Congress in Enugu on Wednesday, hailing the defection as the launch of efforts to “rescue our country and set it on the path of proper socio-economic development.”
The move has sparked speculation about potential alliances, including with veteran politician Atiku Abubakar, who shares the ADC platform, though Utomi pushed for age restrictions in leadership, capping eligibility at 70 for executive posts like governor or president.
Slamming recent administrations, Utomi charged that the presidency has devolved into a “retirement home where people go for the Nigerian state to pay their medical bills,” adding: “They don’t have the fitness to run the country. The last one, and the current one, have essentially been government-in-absentia leaders.”
He pledged: “I, Pat Utomi, am insisting that I will canvass to the Nigerian people that nobody over the age of 70 should run for an executive position, whether it be governor or president.”
Utomi’s comments underscore ongoing debates over zoning and candidate fitness in Nigeria’s fractured political landscape, as opposition figures gear up to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress in the next cycle.
