Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, has clarified that there is currently no merger agreement between his party and any other opposition group.
The former Governor of Anambra State addressed recent speculation regarding a potential merger with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
While he neither confirmed nor denied ongoing merger discussions, he was clear in stating that there is “no agreement yet.”
Obi urged all Nigerians, regardless of political affiliation, to unite, emphasising that only through solidarity can they defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of “mismanaging” the nation’s resources.
He condemned the current security situation in Nigeria as lamentable, expressing his sorrow over the needless loss of lives due to banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping for ransom.
Furthermore, he criticised the administration’s assertions of combatting corruption, arguing that corruption levels in Nigeria remain alarmingly high, along with spiralling governance costs that have resulted in soaring public debt.
Obi highlighted that the situation has been exacerbated by government officials’ reckless mismanagement of public funds in 2024, particularly through frequent foreign travels.
It is worth noting that both Obi and his PDP counterpart, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, lost to APC’s Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
Tinubu won in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states and garnered enough votes elsewhere to achieve a total of 8,794,726 — nearly two million more than his nearest rival, Atiku Abubakar, who received 6,984,520 votes after a record sixth presidential run. Obi, a first-time contestant, achieved an impressive 6,101,533 votes. NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso, the former governor of Kano State, finished fourth with a total of 1,496,687 votes, claiming victory in his home state.