Political economist and former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, says he will withdraw his support for Peter Obi if the former Anambra State governor settles for a vice-presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.
Utomi made the declaration on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, insisting that Obi – Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election – should only be in the race as a frontrunner for the top job.
“Peter Obi will contest for the presidency. The day he becomes somebody’s vice president, I will walk away from his corner. I can tell you that for a fact,” Utomi said.
Utomi, a long-time advocate of governance reforms and one of the early figures behind the political coalition that helped launch Obi’s 2023 bid, also used the interview to criticise what he called the conversion of the presidency into a “retirement home” for ageing politicians.
According to him, the physical and mental demands of executive office make it unsuitable for those above a certain age.
“Something very important for this election to bear in mind: 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.
He proposed a hard age cap for top executive roles.
“Nobody over the age of 70 years should run for an executive position, whether it be governor or president,” Utomi declared.
However, he stressed that he was not arguing for older politicians to be pushed out of public life altogether, suggesting instead that they could continue to serve in less physically demanding roles.
“Yes, people can stay in the legislature till their 75, possibly even close to 80, but the Nigerian people must not continue to tolerate the presidency being where we keep people who need medical attention,” he added.
Utomi’s remarks come amid intensifying political manoeuvres ahead of 2027, following Obi’s move to align with a broader opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Talk of possible alliances and joint tickets has fuelled speculation about whether Obi might be pressured to accept a vice-presidential role in a unity arrangement.
By drawing a clear red line, Utomi signalled both his expectation that Obi should remain a presidential contender and his broader push for generational and health-based criteria in Nigeria’s executive leadership.
