Senior Pastor of the Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo, has poured cold water on Peter Obi’s 2027 presidential ambition, declaring that the former Anambra governor stands little or no chance of making electoral impacts in Northern Nigeria.
Speaking on Outside the Box, the fiery cleric argued that deep national divisions remain a major obstacle to Obi’s acceptance in the region.
“The chance of Peter Obi getting five per cent in 12 core Northern states will be a miracle because Nigeria has not healed,” he said.
While praising Obi’s character and achievements, Ashimolowo insisted that electoral realities outweigh personal credentials.
“He is a fantastic man, he is a gifted man, he could do well, he could achieve, he has proven himself but he can’t win 5 per cent in the north,” he added.
Obi, the Labour Party presidential flagbearer in 2023, finished a distant third behind President Bola Tinubu of the APC and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, despite massive youth-driven support across major cities.
With 2027 approaching, Obi has signalled interest in another run, banking on the loyalty of his Obidient movement and growing dissatisfaction with the political establishment.
However, cracks are already showing within the opposition camp.
Obi is part of a fragile coalition with Atiku and other heavyweight politicians rallying under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a platform still battling internal alignments.
ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi admitted the uneasy balance within the coalition during an interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show.
“I may not describe the situation in such superlative terms to say that it’s the greatest threat to democracy at the moment. But is it a conundrum? Yes. Is it a challenge? Yes. Is it something we are concerned about? Yes,” Abdullahi said.
He stressed that the party is not yet discussing presidential tickets, focusing instead on nationwide expansion.
“Nobody in the ADC at this time is having conversations about who the presidential candidates will be. We have so much work to do — to establish our real presence and be in a position to contest elections in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.
Abdullahi added that the battle for the ADC ticket will not be limited to Obi and Atiku.
“When we get to that point, we will try to engineer a consensus. Consensus is an option for us, but if we are unable to reach one, then we may open it up for everyone to contest,” he noted.
While Atiku Abubakar has formally joined the ADC, Peter Obi has yet to take that step, leaving his 2027 pathway hanging, and feeding doubts over whether the Obidient wave can translate into nationwide votes.
