2027: We’re not scared of Jonathan – Umeh

A chieftain of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Victor Umeh, said supporters of former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, are not threatened by speculations surrounding a possible return of former President Goodluck Jonathan to the 2027 presidential race. Umeh spoke during an interview on Trust TV’s Daily Politics programme, […]

A chieftain of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Victor Umeh, said supporters of former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, are not threatened by speculations surrounding a possible return of former President Goodluck Jonathan to the 2027 presidential race.

Umeh spoke during an interview on Trust TV’s Daily Politics programme, where he dismissed claims that Jonathan’s rumoured ambition could weaken Obi’s support base ahead of the next general election.

“We’re not concerned. Why should we be scared? We cannot be scared,” he said.

The senator said Obi and Jonathan have separate political followings, insisting that Obi’s popularity had continued to grow since the 2023 election.

“Every individual has his own base and followers. What Obi has now is sufficient to make the impact again in 2027 and win the election,” he added.

He explained that Obi had consulted Jonathan several times over his political plans before reports of Jonathan’s possible return emerged.

“Obi consulted him severally, not once. And he never told him he would be running for president,” he noted.

According to him, Jonathan had the constitutional right to contest for president, but his entry into the race would not diminish Obi’s political strength.

“His supporters are not diminishing. They are multiplying,” he explained.

Umeh also defended Obi’s promise to serve only one term if elected president in 2027, saying four years would be enough for a focused leader to redirect the country.

“Four years will be enough for a very serious leader to reset the country, to give a new direction and put the country on the path of real progress and development,” he said.

He added that restoring public confidence in government would not necessarily require more than one term. “Nigerians today are eager to see a government that walks its talk. When they tell you they will do something, they will do it,” he added.

Umeh further described Obi as “the most prudent and fiscally disciplined person” he had encountered in politics, while defending his record as governor of Anambra State.

“His best was good enough for the time allotted to him,” he added.

Speaking on the crisis in the Labour Party, the senator alleged that some individuals within the party were working with forces linked to the ruling APC government to destabilise the opposition.

“We even went to court up to the Supreme Court. INEC did not obey the judgment of the Supreme Court,” he said.

He explained that the group eventually moved into the NDC after losing confidence in the Labour Party’s internal stability.

Umeh also rejected claims that the NDC had become a one man political platform centred around Obi.

“There’s no doubt that the party got new lease of life with the entry of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso,” he added.