Tinubu’s aide tells Peter Obi not to accept VP slot in 2027, says Obidients will walk away
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy, has strongly warned Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, against accepting a vice presidential role in the upcoming 2027 elections.
Speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, May 6, Bwala said Obi would be making the “biggest mistake of his life” if he agrees to play second fiddle to any other presidential hopeful. He argued that doing so would likely destroy his grassroots support, especially from the passionate youth-driven movement known as the Obidients.
“Peter Obi will be making the biggest mistake of his life to now come together under the agreement he will be a running mate,” Bwala said.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, was the vice presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar in 2019 before breaking away to run on the Labour Party platform in 2023. His campaign quickly grew into a powerful nationwide movement of young, reform-driven Nigerians both at home and abroad.
Bwala stressed that Obi’s appeal is deeply tied to his presidential ambition, and any move to become a vice candidate could spell the end of his movement.
“All of the people you are hearing ‘Obidient’ had only one contract with Peter Obi—that he will run for president.
The minute Peter Obi drops the idea… he will lose the majority of the people that are following him.”
He further claimed that President Tinubu remains the most formidable political force in Nigeria, saying it would be nearly impossible for any coalition to defeat him in 2027.
“Let’s leave joke aside… Asho (Tinubu) is a man who won election when all the forces were against him. Now he’s in power, delivering good governance, and extending a hand of national consensus,” Bwala stated.
Bwala argued that opposition coalitions are already falling apart, as more governors, senators, and political leaders align themselves with Tinubu’s administration.
“The President may not be perfect… but his head and his heart are right. There is no politician alive today with the political gravitas to gather people as much as President Tinubu. We are not bothered,” he concluded.
