Okonjo-Iweala Not Interested in Atiku’s Running Mate Offer for 2027 – Arise News Director

Fresh speculation surrounding the 2027 presidential race has taken another twist after the Director of Politics at Arise News, Sumner Sambo, claimed that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is not willing to leave her position at the World Trade Organization, WTO, to become a running mate to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Sambo made the disclosure during an appearance on The Morning Show on Monday while discussing ongoing political calculations and alliance talks ahead of the next general election.

According to him, although Okonjo-Iweala’s name may have surfaced in political discussions, the WTO Director-General is reportedly uninterested in abandoning her international role for Nigerian politics.

“Well, from the latest I’ve heard that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, though she may be considered and all of that, she’s not willing to actually leave a lucrative job as DG of the World Trade Organisation to actually consider that,” Sambo said.

He explained that the former Nigerian finance minister only recently began her second term at the WTO and is expected to remain in office until 2029, making a political move back to Nigeria unlikely at this stage.

“She just resumed in September last year, and she has a tenure that will run for a second term till 2029,” he added.

Sambo also questioned the political wisdom behind leaving a stable international appointment for a vice-presidential ticket tied to what he described as unresolved political and legal uncertainties.

“So what will she be doing as a vice presidential candidate of a party that’s still in court, facing challenges? I think she already has a secure term there, and she wouldn’t consider the offer,” he stated.

The comments come amid growing speculation over possible opposition coalitions and ticket combinations ahead of the 2027 elections, with Atiku’s political future and alliance-building efforts remaining a major talking point within Nigeria’s political space.

Neither Atiku nor Okonjo-Iweala has officially commented on the speculation.