A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Theo Abu Agada, has claimed that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, rejected an offer to serve as the running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Agada, the NDC Director of New Media and Strategic Communications, made the claim on Thursday while responding to allegations that he was working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and leaking information about Obi’s campaign.
In a response to his critic, Agada linked the dispute to the circumstances surrounding Obi’s departure from the opposition coalition that initially brought him and Atiku together under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He alleged that Obi had declined the vice-presidential nomination from Atiku.
However, the claim contradicts Obi’s own account. In a September interview with Arise Television, Obi denied rejecting an offer to become Atiku’s running mate, saying no such proposal had been made to him. He said any potential alliance should be negotiated between political parties rather than treated as an arrangement between individual politicians.
“I wasn’t even in a position where that was being offered, and I refused,” Obi said when asked about the alleged offer.
The differing accounts are significant as opposition parties continue to position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections. Obi and Atiku were previously running mates on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket in the 2019 presidential election but later pursued separate political paths.
The opposition coalition formed in 2025 eventually fractured, with Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso leaving the ADC and joining the NDC. Obi subsequently emerged as the NDC presidential candidate, while Atiku became the ADC presidential candidate.
Obi has since selected Kwankwaso as his running mate, creating a separate NDC presidential ticket for the 2027 contest.
The latest disagreement underscores the continuing political differences among opposition figures as parties prepare for the 2027 general elections.
