The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pushed back against speculations that he is avoiding former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential poll.
He spoke on Friday in Cape Town, South Africa, on the sidelines of the Spier Dialogue 2026, a pan-African governance forum.
While in South Africa, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate held meetings with key government ministers to discuss the growing concerns over attacks on Nigerians and other African foreigners living in the country.
Obi disclosed that he met with South African Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber; Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa; and Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie.
According to him, the discussions were candid and productive, focusing on migration, economic challenges, youth unemployment, insecurity, and the rising tensions affecting African migrants in South Africa.
Many Nigerians have since reacted to the development, describing it as the kind of diplomatic engagement they expect from leaders concerning the welfare and safety of Nigerians abroad.
On his relationship with Atiku, the ex-Anambra governor said, “There are very few human beings who are as close as I am to Atiku. So I can’t be running from him. This man is my very respected leader and elder brother.
“I don’t run from him. Never. It has nothing to do with running from anybody. I’ve never run from anybody. I just believe that I do things differently.”
Both men had jointly adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a coalition platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Obi formally joined the ADC on January 1, 2026, with Atiku welcoming him and describing the move as a landmark moment in Nigerian political coalition-building.
The opposition coalition-building against Tinubu, however, did not hold. While pulling out, Obi clarified that his decision to leave was not due to personal issues with Atiku or party chairman David Mark, but was driven by unresolved internal conflicts and recurring legal disputes that had distracted the party from national issues.
He and former Kano State governor, Musa Kwankwaso (billed to be his running mate) subsequently defected to the NDC, demanding an end to litigation-driven politics.
