Peter Obi, Igbo leaders hold closed-door meeting with Jonathan in Abuja

Peter Obi, frontline presidential aspirant for 2027, on Monday led a delegation of senior Igbo leaders to the Maitama, Abuja residence of former President Goodluck Jonathan for a closed-door consultation that lasted approximately two hours.

The meeting was attended by former Enugu State Governor Okwesilize Nwodo, former Imo State Governor Achike Udenwa, former Niger Delta Development Commission Managing Director Onyema Ugochukwu, and Senators Ben Obi and Victor Umeh, among others.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Obi said the visit was part of ongoing consultations with former national leaders regarding his presidential ambition.

The former Labour Party candidate is now seeking the ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“We need to consult them, especially someone like him who served the country very faithfully, focused, and did what is expected in a democracy.

In this declining situation, you consult him,” Obi said.

He declined to disclose details of the outcome but said Jonathan expressed support for a free, fair and credible electoral process and opposed the idea of a one-party system.

“He wished that we had a free, fair, credible election. There can’t be a one-party system.

He cannot support such a thing. Nobody can claim to be more of a democrat in this country than Jonathan,” Obi said.

Obi clarified that the visit was not for endorsement, adding that he would return for that after securing his candidacy.

“We are not talking about an endorsement yet. When I become a candidate, I’ll come back for endorsement,” he said.

The meeting follows earlier consultations Obi held with former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida as part of his nationwide engagement with Nigeria’s elder statesmen ahead of the 2027 polls.