2027: Jonathan, Obi hold closed-door meeting
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, on Thursday, held a closed-door meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja.Obi, who disclosed the visit in a post on his official X handle on Thursday, described Jonathan as his ”elder brother, a statesman, and leader,” adding that they had a fruitful meeting and discussed the state of the nation.
“Today in Abuja, I met with my very dear elder brother, statesman, and leader, former President Goodluck Jonathan. We had a fruitful closed-door meeting and discussed the state of our dear nation,” Obi wrote.Although details of the meeting were not made public, the development comes amid ongoing conversations about Nigeria’s political direction and the state of governance under President Bola Tinubu’s administrationJonathan, who led Nigeria between 2010 and 2015, has in recent years positioned himself as a mediator in national and continental issues, particularly in conflict resolution and democratic strengthening efforts across Africa.
Obi, on his part, has continued to engage stakeholders following his strong showing in the 2023 elections, where he came third behind Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party.The meeting is the latest in Obi’s series of consultations with key political figures as discussions around Nigeria’s future political realignments intensify.Attempts to obtain clarification from Obi’s former campaign spokesman, Dr Yunusa Tanko, and leaders of the Obidient Movement were unsuccessful as calls and messages went unanswered.Thursday’s meeting is the latest in Obi’s string of high-level engagements, signalling what observers believe could be the early stirrings of a new political coalition. Speculations became rife of Jonathan’s possible return after the Peoples Democratic Party zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
There have also been reports that the PDP had been wooing Obi to return to the party, as he is seen as major force capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
