A former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, has said that 2003 is too early for the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, to rule Nigeria.
Aliyu during an interview on Channels TV on Monday monitored by SaharaReporters advised Obi to wait for either 2027 general elections or 2031 to become the president of Nigeria. 
The former governor described Obi as an excellent person.
He said Obi would have been the running mate of Atiku Abubakar if he had remained with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
He said, “Peter Obi is my good friend and a former member of (my) Nigerian Governors’ Forum. A very excellent person; his candidature, in terms of the Presidency, – I think he will make some name now. But he may be able to make it only in 2027, 2031. But 2023? Too early.”
He also said he doubted if Nigerians were ready for him as president.
“Even though the young people might go for him, the name is not dropping everywhere else. I doubt if Nigerians are ready for him now as a presidential candidate. I would have loved him as a Vice-President. Many of us were rooting for him to be running mate to Atiku again.”