According to a report by Daily Post on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has explained why he is unlikely to seek the presidency again after the 2027 election, saying the country’s power-sharing arrangement would largely determine his political future.
He stated that the chances of him contesting in 2031 are very low because of the zoning principle that alternates the presidency between the North and the South.
Obi noted that Nigeria’s informal zoning arrangement remains an important consideration in presidential contests and said he respects the practice.
According to him, if the presidency returns to the North in 2031, it would significantly affect any possibility of him contesting another presidential election in the future.
Speaking during an interview with media personality Rufai Oseni, the former Anambra State governor said his age would also be a deciding factor.
He explained that by the time the presidency rotates back to the South after a northern tenure, he would have reached an age where he would no longer consider seeking the nation’s highest office.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate said his position was influenced by his belief in the zoning formula, which he expects to continue shaping Nigeria’s political landscape.
He maintained that if events unfold according to that arrangement, there would be little prospect of him presenting himself as a presidential candidate again.
Obi also recounted a conversation he had with a secondary school student earlier in the day.
He said the student questioned whether he would seek another term in the future if he contested and won the 2027 presidential election, prompting him to explain the reasons behind his stance.
According to Obi, his response to the student was based on his conviction that the zoning system would see the presidency shift to the North after the next electoral cycle.
He added that, should that happen, the next opportunity for the South would come when he is 78 years old, an age at which he does not see himself participating in another presidential race.
He said, “You will not believe it, this morning a secondary school boy asked me a question this morning ‘if you run this time, will you run again?’ And I said no, he asked why?
“I said because if I don’t run now, by the next time it comes, believing in the zoning formula it will go to the North and if it goes North in 2031, by the time it comes again to the South, I will be 78 years old and I don’t think I would be doing this at that age…Discover More
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