Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi has declared that Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate Seyi Makinde is qualified to become President of Nigeria.
Obi made the statement on Monday while attending the inauguration of Makinde’s presidential campaign office in Abuja, where he called for greater cooperation among political actors ahead of the 2027 general election.
Addressing supporters and political stakeholders at the event, Obi said Nigerians should be allowed to freely choose their next president through a credible electoral process.
He specifically endorsed Makinde’s constitutional qualification to seek the presidency.
“We have a candidate who is contesting for President today, my dear brother Makinde. Is he qualified to be President? Yes, he is qualified.”
Obi said his presence at the event was motivated by the need to promote political unity rather than hostility between politicians and their supporters.
He argued that Nigeria’s major political challenge should be how to address poverty, hunger and other difficulties confronting citizens.
“What we are doing today, for us is not about desperation but we want Nigerians to make their choice. All of us should come together to build a new Nigeria.”
The former presidential candidate said he was prepared to work with whichever candidate eventually emerges victorious, provided the election is conducted genuinely and meets accepted standards of fairness and credibility.
“Whoever wins genuinely from a free, fair, and credible election, we will all work together to save this country from collapse.”
Obi also called for a shift away from political disagreements and confrontational campaigning, saying politicians should focus their energy on improving the lives of Nigerians.
“We don’t want politics of quarrel, politics of disagreement. Let our quarrel be to feed our people.”
He said political leaders should work towards creating a country where citizens can achieve their ambitions regardless of their family background or political connections.
“We want a Nigeria where the child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody.”
Makinde, who is seeking the presidency on the platform of the APM, has positioned his campaign around economic reform, institutional restructuring and a different approach to governance ahead of the 2027 election.
His position on fuel pricing has also emerged as one of the issues distinguishing him from other presidential contenders. Makinde has rejected a return to Nigeria’s former petrol subsidy system, instead proposing preferential crude pricing for domestic refineries so that the benefit of Nigeria’s oil resources can be reflected in the cost of locally refined petroleum.
Obi’s appearance at the campaign office inauguration therefore brought together two opposition political figures who have both expressed dissatisfaction with aspects of the current political and economic system, despite contesting the 2027 presidential election from different platforms.
The former Anambra governor stressed that political competition should not prevent leaders from cooperating after an election.
He said the priority should be building a country where Nigerians can access opportunities based on merit rather than personal connections.
The comments come as political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election continue to intensify, with several opposition politicians positioning themselves as alternatives to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu.
Obi’s statement that he would work with whoever wins a genuinely free and credible election also places emphasis on the electoral process itself, as political parties begin preparations for the next general election.
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