The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, says there is no merger deal yet with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, or any other party.

 

Obi made this clarification on Thursday morning when he held a press conference in Abuja on the state of the nation.

 

The former Anambra State governor added that no agreement has been established with other parties yet.

 

He rallied all lovers of Nigeria in the political space to come together in 2027 and defeat the All Progressives Congress, APC, which he accused of mismanaging the country’s resources.

 

He also described the security situation in the country as unfortunate, saying Nigerians die needlessly due to banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping-for-ransom.

 

According to him, the level of corruption in Nigeria remained high and so is the cost of governance which has led to an astronomical increase in public debt under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu of the APC.

 

Obi stated that government officials willfully mismanaged public funds in 2024 through incessant foreign travels.

 

In the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu came out tops in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states, and secured significant numbers in several other states to claim the highest number of votes — 8,794,726, almost two million votes more than his closest rival — Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.

 

Atiku, who has ran for president six times, got 6,984,520 votes, while Obi, a first-time contestant, secured an unprecedented 6,101,533. NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Kano State governor, finished fourth, claiming victory in his state — Kano. He secured 1,496,687 votes.

 

Interestingly, Obi and Kwankwaso were PDP members months before the last poll but cited irreconcilable difference as reasons they exited the party.