Reloaded News Desk
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has come under criticism on social media following his latest BBC interview, with some Nigerians accusing him of giving inconsistent responses when questioned about his political plans and positions ahead of the 2027 election.
The reaction followed an interview conducted by BBC journalist Madina Maishanu, during which Obi addressed a range of issues, including the 2027 presidential contest, the possibility of an opposition consensus candidate, his claim about the 2023 election and how he intends to govern if elected.
One of the exchanges that generated attention was the question of whether Obi would step aside if opposition parties eventually agreed on another candidate as their consensus choice for the 2027 election.
Rather than giving a direct yes-or-no response, Obi shifted the discussion towards voter mobilisation, arguing that opposition parties should be concentrating on increasing the number of voters.
He referred to Sokoto State’s voter population and argued that the opposition should be looking beyond the existing electorate.
In the BBC interview, Obi said the opposition should be seeking to bring millions of additional voters into the electoral process rather than focusing primarily on who would step aside.
He said: “We don’t need to step down, we need to do the right thing.”
The response has become one of the most discussed portions of the interview, with critics arguing online that the question was about whether he would accept another opposition candidate while his answer focused on voter numbers.
However, Obi maintained that Nigerians should ultimately be allowed to make their choice at the ballot box.
The former Anambra State governor also repeated his long-standing claim that he won the 2023 presidential election, while acknowledging during the BBC interview that he does not have evidence to substantiate the claim.
“I still stand on what I said. Evidence no dey… I win the election,” Obi said in the BBC Pidgin version of the interview.
That response has also attracted criticism online, particularly because of the juxtaposition between his continued assertion that he won the election and his admission that he has no evidence to support the claim.
BBC’s Hausa report further quoted Obi as saying he would serve only one term if elected president in 2027, pledging that he would not remain in office beyond four years.
The interview also touched on his proposed approach to fuel subsidy.
Obi said he would restore the subsidy if elected, arguing that the central problem was corruption surrounding the subsidy system rather than the subsidy itself.
“If I win, I’ll bring back the fuel subsidy and remove the corruption,” he said, according to reports of the interview.
The different portions of the interview have consequently become part of a wider online debate about whether Obi’s positions and answers are sufficiently consistent as the 2027 election approaches.
Some Nigerians described his responses as contradictory or lacking direct answers, while others focused on the interviewer’s persistence in seeking clarification on issues surrounding the opposition’s search for a consensus candidate.
The debate comes against the background of continuing efforts by opposition politicians to build alliances ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Obi was previously part of the opposition coalition associated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alongside figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He later left the ADC and joined the NDC. Reuters reported in May that Obi’s departure, alongside Rabiu Kwankwaso’s exit, weakened the attempt to build a unified opposition alliance.
Atiku has subsequently continued to discuss the possibility of an opposition alliance, telling the BBC in August that opposition parties were still working towards a possible arrangement ahead of the election.
For Obi, however, the latest BBC interview suggests that the question of who eventually emerges as the opposition candidate remains tied, in his view, to the broader issue of voter mobilisation and allowing Nigerians to determine their preferred leader.
The online debate is therefore likely to continue as the opposition parties navigate their competing ambitions, possible alliances and the question of who should carry a joint presidential ticket in 2027.
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