The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, has dismissed speculation that former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi might accept a vice-presidential position ahead of the 2027 general election.

Tanko, a close ally of Obi, clarified in an exclusive interview that the former Labour Party presidential candidate is solely focused on contesting for the presidency.

“We have never put that on the table. Obi is running for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria—no more, no less. There is no discussion about him becoming a vice president, and we have already released a statement confirming this,” Tanko said.

The statement comes in the wake of Obi’s recent defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Last Wednesday, he formally joined the party at an event held at the Nike Lake Resort in Enugu State, urging Nigerians and opposition forces to unite under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity, and democratic decline.”

During the event, Obi also criticized the current leadership for mismanaging the country and aggravating social and economic challenges nationwide.

Tanko’s remarks follow a public debate between ADC chieftain and publisher Dele Momodu and political economist Professor Pat Utomi over Obi’s 2027 political future and the ADC presidential ticket.

Momodu, a former presidential aspirant, responded on his verified X account to Utomi’s warning that he would withdraw support for Obi if the former governor accepted a vice-presidential role in the emerging opposition coalition.

“Anyone insisting that Obi cannot run behind anyone is definitely not a Democrat who wishes to rescue Nigeria from one-man dictatorship,” Momodu wrote, while acknowledging his respect for Utomi.

He emphasized that Nigerian politics requires strategic realism rather than rigid idealism. “Every nation must have its own organic strategies while it may study and borrow ideas from elsewhere. The Nigerian topography is an abnormal configuration,” he noted.

Momodu added that intellectual brilliance alone often does not guarantee electoral success in Nigeria, where voting patterns are influenced by what he described as “primordial sentiments.”

“This is why the statement credited to my egbon, Pat, often breaks my heart. He seems not to have learned from his own experience that ‘big grammar’ does not win elections,” Momodu said, referencing Utomi’s earlier remarks.

He further recalled that political parties often favor candidates with stronger popular appeal over those perceived as more intellectually accomplished. “APC had a more cerebral Yemi Osinbajo, yet it chose Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its flagbearer in 2023. The keyword is reality,” he said.

Highlighting Obi’s political trajectory, Momodu noted, “In 2019, one visionary gentleman, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, placed Obi on the national platform against the wishes of many governors and stakeholders.”

He urged Obi to remain committed to the ADC and to “be a humble party man” as he positions himself for the 2027 presidential contest.