Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the opposition Labour Party in the 2023 general election, has stated that he is not interested in any coalition that is solemnly interested in grabbing power.

Mr Obi, who came third in the election after losing to incumbent President Bola Tinubu, said his interest is only in discussing the growth of the country, especially the well-being of common Nigerians.

“For me, what is important is let’s discuss Nigeria. Whether we are going to do a coalition, let’s talk about the future of the country.

“But often, we abandon the country, and what we need to do is talk about power grab. I’m not interested in any coalition for the purpose of taking power,” Mr Obi said on Monday while fielding questions from journalists on the sidelines of a national conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria in Abuja.

The event was organised by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Westminster for Democracy (WfD), Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) and National Peace Committee.

Although Mr Obi did not specifically say whether or not there is an ongoing merger talk between the opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, there have been rumours that there are dialogues with PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso on forming an alliance.

Last year, the trio made newspaper headlines of plans to willingly set aside their differences to form collation and formidable force to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next general election.

Fielding questions from journalists at the event, Mr Obi explained that what should be more important is discussing securing the country from the grip of insecurity.

He declared that Nigeria under Mr Tinubu is not working, stressing that the country breeds poverty every day amid the economic and poverty crisis.

The opposition leader also warned about the monetisation of politics, adding that power should be about selfless service and not amassing wealth.

“It is about discussing Nigeria. How do we care about securing the Nigerians? How do we care about the common person in Nigeria? How do we care about our children being in school? That is the most important thing for now,” Mr Obi added.