Political economist and former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, has declared that he would immediately withdraw his support for Peter Obi if the former Anambra State governor accepts a vice-presidential position ahead of the 2027 general election.
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Utomi made the declaration on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, assuring that Obi will contest for the presidency following his formal defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday.
His comments came in response to Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo’s claim that Obi had already accepted to run as Atiku Abubakar’s vice-presidential candidate under the ADC ticket in 2027—a claim Utomi strongly dismissed.
“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,” Prof. Utomi said.
The political economist also used the opportunity to make a case for limiting presidential and gubernatorial candidates to Nigerians aged 70 and below.
He lamented that the Nigerian presidency has increasingly become a “retirement home,” criticising both former President Muhammadu Buhari’s and President Bola Tinubu’s administrations as “government in absentia.”
“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. They don’t have the fitness to run the country. The last one, and the current one, have essentially been government-in-absentia leaders,” Utomi stated.
“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,” he added.
While clarifying his position, Utomi said older politicians could still contribute meaningfully in other capacities, such as the legislature.
“Yes, people can stay in the legislature till their 75, possibly even close to 80, but the Nigerian people must not continue to tolerate presidency being where we keep people who need medical attention,” he said.
Utomi’s comments come amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, following Obi’s move to the African Democratic Congress as part of a broader opposition coalition.
Peter Obi, who came third in the last presidential election with over six million votes, officially announced his defection to the ADC in Enugu on Wednesday.
In his speech at the event, Obi said his move to the ADC marked the beginning of a journey to rescue the country from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Today is an important day; today is the last day of 2025, so we are ending this year with the hope that, in 2026, we will begin a journey to rescue our country and set it on the path of proper socio-economic development that will be unifying and inclusive,” Obi stated.
He continued: “We have all watched as those who benefited from our democracy have, over time, become accessories to destroying it—either through coercion or gangsterism against the opposition. We cannot allow this to happen; we will resist it.”
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