Former Governor of Anambra State and presidential aspirant of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has denied claims that he is dodging former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Obi spoke on Friday in Cape Town, South Africa on the sidelines of the Spier Dialogue 2026, a pan-African governance forum, it was reported.
Atiku, he said, remained one of the people closest to him politically and personally.
Obi said he had no reason to run away from the former Vice-President, who he described as a respected leader.
He added, “There are very few human beings that are as close to me as Atiku is. So I can’t be running from him. This man is my most respected leader and brother.
I don’t run away from him. Never. It’s not about running from anyone. I’ve never run from anyone. “I just think I do things different.”
Earlier, Obi and Atiku adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a coalition platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Obi formally joined the ADC on January 1, 2026, with Atiku welcoming the move and calling it a landmark moment in Nigerian political coalition-building.
But the alliance soon fell apart. Obi, who was on his way out of the ADC, said his decision was not based on personal issues with Atiku or the party chairman, David Mark.
Obi and former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, later defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) where they called for an end to litigation-driven politics.
