Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central at the National Assembly, has clarified that the recent meeting between former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi was a routine political consultation and not a negotiation for either aspirant to step down from the 2027 presidential race.
He described the reports about the meeting as a misrepresentation of what transpired.
Umeh made the clarification in an interview on Arise Television on Monday, describing Obi’s visit to Amaechi as a commendable and necessary step in the consensus-building process among opposition figures on the African Democratic Congress platform.
“Obi going to see Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, His Excellency, was a noble visit, with good intention. You have to talk to your opponent, and Peter going there had to go with people. They were not talking about stepping down. That’s a misrepresentation. That was a wrong spin on that visit, and I know that Mr. Amaechi knows that Obi never asked him to step down for him. He never did,” he stressed.
The senator argued that the consultations unfolding among opposition aspirants reflected a natural and necessary political process, noting that multiple candidates vying for the same office must engage in sustained dialogue if they are to arrive at a unified position.
“There is no way all of them will become presidential candidates or all of them become President of Nigeria at the same time. There must be some level of discussions and consultations that will open up a line of decision-making,” he said.
Turning to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Umeh suggested that the time had come for the Adamawa politician to make way for younger leaders.
“He’s been running since 2003, and we respect him. He’s a very strong character and politician with influence. But there’s a time you will say, ‘Oh no, I’ve done it. Let me prop up other people.’ Those people are coming with ideas that will promote a change, which Nigerians are looking for,” he said.
The lawmaker stressed that the overriding consideration in the opposition’s candidate selection process must be the expectations of ordinary Nigerians rather than the personal ambitions of individual aspirants. Umeh warned that failure to heed the public mood could prove costly against an entrenched ruling party.
“What is very critical at this stage is that they have to take a look at the ruling party they are trying to dislodge. That ruling party is entrenched, and the President that is in office is not making any pretenses about it. He’s not in a hurry to go. And if you want to change, there must be something that is different that you will offer Nigerians,” he said.
He added that aspirants who remained fixated on personal ambition at the expense of public interest risked losing sight of what the opposition’s mission was ultimately about.
“They are not looking at or listening to what Nigerians want. Because if you are guided by what Nigerians want, it would be very easy for you to now say, ‘Okay, let me take this way or let me take this way’,” he said.
