Peter Obi, who ran as the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023, has confirmed he will contest for president again in 2027, firmly dismissing suggestions he might serve as someone else’s running mate.

The former Anambra State Governor announced this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, which aired on Sunday.

“I’m going to contest for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I believe I am qualified for it,” Obi said.

His declaration ends speculation that he might team up with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party as a running mate.

When asked about these rumours, Obi was clear in his response: “This is not in play; nobody has ever discussed that. People assume so many things.

Nobody has ever discussed with me whether I will be A or B or C.” Obi reaffirmed his commitment to the Labour Party, describing himself as a “vibrant member” of the party that gave him his political platform in 2023.

A new survey by the Africa Polling Institute (API) has revealed a sharp decline in public trust and confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, the National Assembly, and the judiciary, raising fresh concerns about Nigeria’s social cohesion.

In the 2025 Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey released at national dialogue in Abuja at the weekend, a staggering 83 percent of Nigerians expressed little to no trust in the Tinubu-led federal government, while 82 percent said the same about the National Assembly under Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.

The judiciary, currently led by Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, also fared poorly, with 79 percent of respondents saying they do not trust the institution to act independently or fairly.

“Overall, the Nigeria Social Cohesion Index (NSCI) was computed at 46.8 percent, falling below the 50 percent average benchmark for a socially cohesive nation, signaling a weak state of unity, trust, and shared identity among citizens.

(Daily Trust)

Today we remember MKO Abiola.

He came like a dream and lived as a legend.

Of his accomplishments, he was a marvel: a child born into poverty but surrounded by such a wealth of culture and community that, from an early age, he understood that the greatest glory came from serving people.

A prodigy of Baptist Boys High School where his identity as a muslim did not stop him from benefiting from scholarships set up by missionaries; and ultimately coming fourth in the international chartered accountancy exam in England.

MKO believed in Nigeria and in Nigerians and loved both above all else.

He would have been a success anywhere, but like many patriotic Nigerians of his time, he chose Nigeria for his stage.

And what a stage it was for much of his adult life, marked by feats of business and personal success that was matched by his prodigious philanthropy.

If there was a final test that caused a man that seemed to be an unstoppable force of nature to stumble, it was the quest to ensure that Nigerians would say farewell of poverty.

He set forth on his attempt but, alas, he did not succeed.

However, that his final chapter culminated in the pursuit of a better Nigeria for all probably defined him best.

MKO believed in Nigeria and in Nigerians and loved both above all else.

So as divided as the country may be today, fractured and riven by suspicion and fear; as dispirited as many citizens may feel when confronted by the lack of visible progress on insecurity and broader prosperity, on this 27th anniversary of MKO’s death, we would do well to remember that the unity some threaten to upend may be a pre-condition for winning the fight for our country and its future.

And that the quest to end poverty in Nigeria isn’t for one man, whether MKO or whoever leads our country, however brilliant and blessed he may be, but for us all.

• Contributed by Dr Hafsat Abiola President KUDIRAT INITIATIVE FOR DEMOCRACY (KIND); Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin President, Women Arise