Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has dismissed claims that he is forming a political alliance with former President Goodluck Jonathan to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Obi’s media aide and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, clarified the rumours in an interview with The PUNCH, insisting that while the two leaders share mutual respect and occasionally meet, their interactions have no political undertone.
“My principal and the former president have a very good working relationship and they know each other well. Seeing them talk to each other does not mean anything more than a platonic discussion about how to move the country forward,” Tanko said.
“I don’t think there’s anything beyond that. No discussion or pact around 2027. Even when they met in Ghana, I was there. So, there was nothing like that.”
The clarification follows recent speculation after Obi met with Jonathan in September. Following their private meeting, Obi had described the encounter as “fruitful,” saying they discussed “the state of the nation.”
His statement fuelled public chatter about a possible alliance between the two, especially as political groups and loyalists have renewed calls for Goodluck Jonathan to return to the 2027 presidential race under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A PDP chieftain told Vanguard in August that moves to draft Jonathan back into the race were already at an advanced stage, claiming the former president had “accepted to run” to address Nigeria’s economic hardship and growing poverty.
However, Tanko’s latest statement puts such speculations to rest, reaffirming that Obi remains focused on his advocacy for governance reform, accountability, and a new political culture rather than partisan alliances.
Neither Jonathan nor Obi has publicly indicated plans to contest the 2027 elections.
