Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has clarified that he is not in conflict with President Bola Tinubu, emphasizing that his coalition efforts are directed against poverty and poor governance rather than any individual.

Speaking to a group of teachers in Abuja, Obi explicitly denied recent reports suggesting he had agreed to be former Vice President Atiku Abubakar's running mate in the 2027 presidential election.

"President Tinubu and I are not fighting. I am not fighting anybody," Obi stated. "My fight is against bad governance, hunger, against out of school children, against people with less than 10 percent health insurance scale, and poverty."

The former Anambra State governor redirected attention to pressing national issues, particularly education, during his address. "These teachers here should be paid by the government because it is a universal basic education. The law says children should go to school free," he emphasized.

Obi further clarified his position on coalition-building: "I'm in a coalition against hunger, poverty, and good health. Politics for me is not about position but about doing the right things."

His comments come shortly after a meeting with President Tinubu in Rome on Sunday during the official installation of Pope Leo XIV. Obi had previously cautioned against politicizing that encounter.

"I, Peter has told you where I stand and didn't talk about politics but the education of these children – in this country, we talk about politics and abandon what we should be talking about," he added. "What we should be talking about is how to be educating these children."

The statement appears to signal Obi's continued focus on policy issues rather than political alliances as Nigeria moves toward the 2027 election cycle.