Political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, has said the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will run for president in the 2027 general election, adding that he would withdraw his support if Obi accepts a vice-presidential position.
Utomi made the statement on Thursday during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.
His comments followed Obi’s recent defection from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which the former Anambra State governor announced on Wednesday in Enugu. Obi described the move as the start of a mission to “rescue the country and place it on the path of genuine socio-economic development.”
Obi, who finished third in the 2023 presidential election with about six million votes, has since faced questions from supporters and critics over the implications of his move to the ADC, particularly regarding the party’s zoning arrangement and the presence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the party.
Addressing the issue, Utomi ruled out the possibility of Obi settling for a vice-presidential slot, stating that such a move would end his support for the former governor.
“I can tell you that Peter Obi will contest for the presidency. The day he becomes somebody’s vice president, I walk away from his corner. I can say that categorically,” Utomi said.
He also called for age limits for executive offices, proposing a maximum age of 70 for presidential and governorship candidates. Utomi argued that the presidency had become a “retirement home,” criticising both the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari and the current government of President Bola Tinubu.
“The Nigerian presidency has turned into a place where people go for the state to pay their medical bills. That is unacceptable. Many do not have the fitness required to run the country,” he said.
Utomi concluded by pledging to campaign for constitutional reforms that would bar anyone above 70 years from contesting for executive positions in Nigeria.
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