2027 Could Be My Last Chance To Seek Nigeria’s Presidency, Says Peter Obi

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has indicated that the 2027 general election could represent his final opportunity to contest for Nigeria's presidency, citing the country's informal power rotation arrangement between the North and the South.

Obi said the likelihood of him seeking the nation's highest office in 2031 was "very slim," explaining that his decision would largely depend on the outcome of the 2027 election and the direction of the zoning arrangement.

Speaking during an interview with media personality Rufai Oseni, the former Anambra State governor said he would be 78 years old by the time power is expected to rotate back to the South if the presidency shifts to the North after 2027.

Responding to a question on whether he would contest again if unsuccessful in the 2027 election, Obi said: “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.

“You will not believe it, this morning a secondary school boy asked me a question this morning ‘if you run this time, will you run again?’ And I said no, he asked why?

“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 and 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.”

Obi, however, left the door slightly open to another presidential bid if the office remains in the South beyond the 2027 election, although he described such a possibility as 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 outcome of the 2027 election,” he added.

His remarks underscore Obi’s long-term political calculations ahead of the 2027 presidential election, where he is expected to seek the NDC's mandate to challenge for the country’s top office.