I’ll walk away if Obi becomes a vice-presidential candidate in 2027 – Utomi

Pat Utomi, professor of political economy, says he will withdraw his support for Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), if the ex-governor of Anambra accepts a vice-presidential candidacy for the 2027 elections.

Utomi spoke on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

His comments came a day after Obi announced in Enugu that he had formally defected from the LP to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

At the event, Obi said his move to the ADC signalled the start of a mission to “rescue our country and set it on the path of proper socio-economic development.”

The defection has drawn reactions from his supporters and critics, including Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation, who raised concerns about zoning and the presence of Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, in the party.

Speaking on Politics Today, Utomi insisted that Obi would contest the presidency and threatened to walk away if anything otherwise happens.

“I can tell you that Peter Obi will contest for the presidency. The day he becomes somebody’s vice president, I walk away from his corner. I can tell you that for a fact,” he said.

While noting that the presidency has been reduced to a retirement home, Utomi said the age limit for presidential candidates should be pegged at 70 years.

“Something important about this election to bear in mind is that the Nigerian presidency has become a retirement home where people go for the Nigerian state to pay their medical bills. It is not acceptable,” he said.

“They don’t have the fitness to run the country. The last one, and the current one, have essentially been government-in-absentia leaders.”

“I, Pat Utomi, am insisting that I will canvass to the Nigerian people that nobody over the age of 70 should run for an executive position, whether it be governor or president.”

Utomi was present on Wednesday in Enugu during the formal defection of the former Anambra governor.