A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Ibrahim Abdulkarim, has drawn a distinction between the presidential ambitions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and NDC candidate Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Abdulkarim said while Tinubu and Atiku were primarily seeking political power, Obi was seeking the opportunity to serve Nigerians and transform the country.
He stated this on Tuesday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed the political landscape and the road to the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the major difference among the three leading contenders was the motivation behind their presidential ambitions.
“What is different between the three of them? Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, they are looking for power. Mr Peter Obi is looking for service,” Abdulkarim said.
“He wants to come and offer himself to change what we feel the young people cannot do for ourselves. That’s the bottom line. That’s what changed.”
Abdulkarim argued that Nigeria’s major challenge was not necessarily a lack of understanding of the problems confronting the country, but the absence of political courage and willingness to implement solutions.
He said many politicians, analysts and other influential Nigerians were aware of the country’s challenges and knew what needed to be done to address them.
“This Nigeria, this city that I’m sitting down here and showing you here, a lot of politicians sat on this table. A lot of analysts sat on this table. A lot of people tell you, I’m sure what you are hearing on this chair is different in your conversation with them privately,” he said.
According to the NDC chieftain, many of the country’s political leaders understand the problems facing Nigeria and have ideas about possible solutions, but are often unwilling or unable to take the necessary steps to implement them.
“Most of the big men in this country know the problem, know what is wrong with us. They have the solution,” he said.
“Some will tell you, ‘Sure, I can’t say it.’ Some say, ‘I can’t, we can’t do it.’ But what we are trying to do is that we have seen somebody that has the courage and he wants to do it.”
Abdulkarim said this was why he and other young Nigerians were backing Obi’s presidential bid, arguing that supporting the former Anambra State governor was ultimately about supporting the aspirations of Nigerians themselves.
He urged young Nigerians to take ownership of the political process and work towards producing the kind of leadership they desire.
“And we, the young Nigerians, we said we have to cut ourselves and get a Nigeria that we want through this man,” he said.
“Because if we support him, we are not supporting him; we are supporting ourselves.”
The comments come as opposition parties intensify efforts to build a formidable challenge to the APC ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
On Monday, opposition parties began fresh discussions in Abuja on the possibility of presenting a single presidential candidate against Tinubu in 2027. The talks involved the ADC, NDC, Allied Peoples Movement, PDP, Peoples Redemption Party(PRP) and Social Democratic Party(SDP).
However, both Atiku and Obi were absent from the summit, with discussions focused on establishing a framework for opposition cooperation and a possible single-candidate arrangement.
The development has further intensified political realignments ahead of the 2027 polls, with opposition leaders seeking ways to consolidate their support and challenge the ruling APC.
