₦airaland Forum

Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central at the National Assembly, has clarified that the recent meeting between former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi was a routine political consultation and not a negotiation for either aspirant to step down from the 2027 presidential race.

He described the reports about the meeting as a misrepresentation of what transpired.

Umeh made the clarification in an interview on Arise Television on Monday, describing Obi’s visit to Amaechi as a commendable and necessary step in the consensus-building process among opposition figures on the African Democratic Congress platform.

“Obi going to see Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, His Excellency, was a noble visit, with good intention. You have to talk to your opponent, and Peter going there had to go with people. They were not talking about stepping down. That’s a misrepresentation. That was a wrong spin on that visit, and I know that Mr. Amaechi knows that Obi never asked him to step down for him. He never did,” he stressed.

The senator argued that the consultations unfolding among opposition aspirants reflected a natural and necessary political process, noting that multiple candidates vying for the same office must engage in sustained dialogue if they are to arrive at a unified position.

“There is no way all of them will become presidential candidates or all of them become President of Nigeria at the same time. There must be some level of discussions and consultations that will open up a line of decision-making,” he said.

Turning to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Umeh suggested that the time had come for the Adamawa politician to make way for younger leaders.

“He’s been running since 2003, and we respect him. He’s a very strong character and politician with influence. But there’s a time you will say, ‘Oh no, I’ve done it. Let me prop up other people.’ Those people are coming with ideas that will promote a change, which Nigerians are looking for,” he said.

The lawmaker stressed that the overriding consideration in the opposition’s candidate selection process must be the expectations of ordinary Nigerians rather than the personal ambitions of individual aspirants. Umeh warned that failure to heed the public mood could prove costly against an entrenched ruling party.

“What is very critical at this stage is that they have to take a look at the ruling party they are trying to dislodge. That ruling party is entrenched, and the President that is in office is not making any pretenses about it. He’s not in a hurry to go. And if you want to change, there must be something that is different that you will offer Nigerians,” he said.

He added that aspirants who remained fixated on personal ambition at the expense of public interest risked losing sight of what the opposition’s mission was ultimately about.

“They are not looking at or listening to what Nigerians want. Because if you are guided by what Nigerians want, it would be very easy for you to now say, ‘Okay, let me take this way or let me take this way’,” he said.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/04/senator-umeh-clarifies-obis-visit-to-amaechi-explains-why-atiku-should-step-down/

It's very strange that the ADC presidential aspirants haven't started developing a spirit of consideration for a consensus. If everybody is insisting on direct primary instead of a consensus, then they're preparing to kill the party. I listened to your interview with Atiku, and he said 2027 will be the last time he'll run for the presidency. So, he's running. At this stage, having followed the discussions on the best thing ADC should do, I was thinking that Atiku would leave the stage for younger people, but he said he's contesting. He's supposed to be a father at this stage and at his age. If all the aspirants go all out to wrestle, it may get to the point that some people will have bloody noses, and this will cause the party to suffer in the presidential election.

Senator Victor Umeh

He knows that he should step down for a younger generation

Obi or nothing...the killing is too much and this president don't have the solution... it's either obi is there or we let tifnubu to delete some certain population somewhere in the land.

But atiku should just return to dubia or Cameroon where he belongs


Kiss it.

Story for the gods.

Those guys are agents indirectly working for tinubu.

Nigeria does not have the good luck of good leadership. Now the opposition that should provide an alternative to this foolish govt is nonsensical

atiku should find a southern candidate and support him ..

he can still be a party leader and a Godfather... it's that simple...

No plssss, let him continue proving stubborn. As it stands , everyone is now wise. Let him spend his last card at the primaries. Na awa moni. He will be disgraced this time. I remember when they were conducting the PDP primaries back then, in which Jonathan emerged winner. The hotel where I was lodged in Abuja was very close to the venue they were just making noise in my ears. Atiku stormed the hotel with Ghana must go bags, filled with naira, when naira was still good. About 60 bags offloaded from a white hilux van,to bribe delegates. In the end, he still lost. Why are you bribing if you are sure of winning? Why are you bribing if you're not going there to steal?

Same scenario will play out this time. Atiku isn't a nationalist. He thinks Nigeria is for sale. Though I don't like Tinubu's style of corrupt governance, he's still better than atiku. He's not a good manager at all. Is it Kwakwanso that defeated him in the primaries which produced buhari in which Kwakwanso almost defeated the late Buhari himself that would not also want to be VP? He will storm the venue with his northern allies in support of the OK ticket.

Kwakwanso is another compatible and caring politician i know. The combo will salvage Nigeria. People won't be killed and they'd remain in the airport instead of visiting and consoling victims. People won't be killed and they'd turn visit to campaigns when some people are griefing, as in the case of Tinubu's visit to benue and jos. We need a healer right now cos Nigeria and their drivers are seriously ill.

Until Umeh steps down for a younger person in Anambra to take his seat in the Senate with that brillian ideas he claims. He has no right to ask Atiku to step down.

Peteru Obi will also tell Tinubu not to contest

Worry not,bala gombe is coming to give obi the ticket,the south must be allowed to complete it's 2 terms ,the ticket must be zoned south atiku and co should wait till 31.

Obi always want every other people to step down for him. He's always running from competition.

Maybe Peter obi to try senator in anambra instead of mingling with his enemies

Atiku arrange party keep , with his Arewa brothers , instead make Una come with humility for party.. Una wan chase am comot take over..
Using silly excuse

His old is tinubu, trump et al..

If the leave that party for Una.. Obi on ballot if win Asiwaju?

Social media go Dey deceive Una .. common election for fct.. Una no get agent .. na local govt for sokoto Una go get agent .. Abi for kastina..
make Una Dey shout Obi kwankwaso..
Una go just wake up 3 hours after election come shout rigging

Silly Umeh

I wonder how these people reason. They bring so much division and hate to ADC. The way they shout Obi, you'd think he did something spectacular in Anambra state. Obi remains the worst Anambra state governor till date.. look at how you're demarketing your party members because you want the ticket, shame. Same Obi that told us *Atiku is his leader and he will never contest primaries with Atiku*.

ATEAMS:
atiku should find a southern candidate and support him ..

he can still be a party leader and a Godfather... it's that simple...

Why did your Southern candidate foolishly go to join him in his party....you come into my SPV and you are asking me to get down so you can drive.....where does that happen,your Southern candidate should have organically grown his own party and movement,he would have been the one all this charlatans would have been begging not the other way round.....obi really sold himself for cheap.

The greedy man that made PDP to lose in 2023 will let his greed make ADC lose in 2027

dahnimoh:
He knows that he should step down for a younger generation

Obi should step down for Amechi... All we want is young candidate that can deliver us from Tinubu


Obi is 62+

Amechi is 60


So let go for young candidate... Both of them na ADC

Why is Peter begging everybody to step down.

So let's use manipulation win primary, can do you beg opposition parties candidates to step down?

dahnimoh:
He knows that he should step down for a younger generation

What has age got to do with returning Nigeria to its prosperous past under PDP deregulation and privatisation policies

Atiku should step down?

Why can't these guys from their own party and field their own candidate instead of this bullying and blackmailing of other aspirants.

Please, stop wasting your time because Atiku will never step down for anybody and ADC as a party won't work, as all its activities will be declared null & void by the Supreme Court based on the leadership crisis ravaging the party at national & state levels.

So, Obi and all lovers of democracy who really want a change to defeat APC in 2027 general elections should quickly move to NDC being a more viable and stable party to get the Presidential ticket without stress. All Obi & Kwankwaso supporters including the Nigeria masses will move along and vote Obi in 2027.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

fergie001:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/04/senator-umeh-clarifies-obis-visit-to-amaechi-explains-why-atiku-should-step-down/

Obi and kwankwaso should try their luck.

Lol, pa Atiku isn't going to like this play at all

anonimi:
What has age got to do with returning Nigeria to its prosperous past under PDP deregulation and privatisation policies

Age has everything to do with it.

What new ideas is an eighty-something year old man going to bring to the table?

Can he even withstand the rigours that come with being president of a country like Nigeria with so many problems at the same time?

Naira land obidients that were denying the news earlier, Victor Umeh has confirmed it.
Why must Obi be begging people to step down for him?

Step down Kee you there ordinary primary election peter obi can't win in any political party yet he want to be president. Must he contest if he is not popular enough to contest primary election with heavyweight in his party?

And after Atiku steps down, Amaechi and Tinubu will subsequently step down right? Atiku got 7m votes in 2023, an election where Northerners gave Tinubu 5.6m votes. Go figure.

Atiku is the next President of Federal Republic of Nigeria.

alanto:
Why is Peter begging everybody to step down.

So let's use manipulation win primary, can do you beg opposition parties candidates to step down?

Maybe he wants to split opposition vote again like he did in 2023

Who do you think Tinubu will use next year to make Obi do his bidding?

Interesting that unstable, unpredictable, corrupt, unprincipled and party-hopping Utomi was the first presidential candidate of ADC.

lexylaw40:
The “president-elect” saw in Obi's presidential bid, a good chance to reduce the winning chances of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Oyo State, Tawfiq Akinwale, [/b]on Wednesday [b]stated that the “President-elect” Bola Tinubu asked popular economist, Prof Pat Utomi to step down for Peter Obi in the buildup to the 2023 general elections.

Akinwale made this revelation while he appeared as a guest on a radio programme on 101.7 YES FM, Ibadan, Oyo State, while alleging that Obi received campaign funds from Utomi, whom he described as Tinubu's "son."

The LP aspirant, who spoke in Yoruba language, said "In the buildup to the 2023 elections, Obi who had purchased the nomination form of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), suddenly announced his exit from the party.

"Initially, Pat Utomi had secured the LP's presidential ticket, but when Peter Obi said he resigned from the PDP and joined the LP. Bola Tinubu, a master political strategist, quickly told Utomi, that everyone knows to be his son to step down for Obi.

"The “president-elect” saw in Obi's presidential bid, a good chance to reduce the winning chances of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

"What Peter Obi didn't know is much more that what he knows, he started collecting campaign funds from Utomi, while Tinubu was giving the money to Utomi.

"This went on until Obi's presidential campaign got to a stage it went beyond target. Obi was used without him knowing," Akinwale said after announcing his departure from the party.

Obi defected to the LP after resigning his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and also withdrawing from the presidential race under the party.

The former governor consequently joined the race for the party’s presidential ticket, while Professor Pat Utomi, in June 2022 stepped down for him to emerge as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, unopposed in Asaba, Delta State.

https://saharareporters.com/2023/05/24/how-president-elect-tinubu-funded-peter-obis-campaign-reduce-winning-chances-atiku-oyo

AMINDA:
And after Atiku steps down, Amaechi and Tinubu will subsequently step down right?

What you people should know is this - whether Atiku steps down or not he will not be president in 2027!

frankson1:
Obi always want every other people to step down for him. He's always running from competition.

Had people not stepped down for buhari, someone who could barely afford a form, would he have become president ? Kwakwanso almost defeated him at the primary back then, despite some candidates still stepping down for him.Now that it becomes someone else's matter, people are shifting goalpost. Obi hates bribery. He knows what to do but he'll never. The last time I checked, he's a silent billionaire and a philanthropist. We need someone like him

Which one is step down?,someone that can not contest for primaries can never rule this country…power is never served “a la carte” anywhere in the world and Nigeria is no exception.