By George Ozalla
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has challenged all candidates seeking to become Nigeria’s president in 2027 to come before Nigerians, answer questions about their records and subject their plans for the country to public scrutiny.
Obi made the challenge on Friday while flagging off his campaign for the 2027 presidential election, saying Nigerians deserve the opportunity to examine the records, credentials, character and programmes of all those seeking to lead the country. “Every candidate must be willing to present their credentials, defend their records, and subject their vision to open scrutiny,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor said candidates should not expect Nigerians to entrust them with the leadership of the country if they were unwilling to engage directly with the people. “No candidate should hide behind the high walls of power, send proxies or surrogates to the hustings, and expect Nigerians to entrust them with the leadership of their country,” he said.
Obi said anyone seeking the presidency must have the courage to face Nigerians, respond to their questions and explain how they intend to address the challenges confronting the country. “Every candidate that seeks the presidency must have the courage to come before the people, answer their questions, defend their records, and subject their vision to public scrutiny,” he said.
He said leadership required more than making promises from campaign platforms, stressing that presidential candidates must be prepared to visit communities, listen to citizens and understand the difficulties they face. He specifically cited communities affected by banditry, terrorism, criminality, displacement and flooding as places where aspiring leaders should be willing to engage with the people.
“True leadership requires presence and empathy. No one can lead from the front without standing with communities across Nigeria devastated by banditry, criminality, terrorism, and flooding,” Obi said, adding, “You cannot truly lead a people you are unwilling to visit, listen to, and understand.”
Obi also announced that he and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso would personally take their campaign message to Nigerians across the country instead of leaving the task to representatives. “Today, I make a clear commitment that I and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso will take our message directly to Nigerians. We will listen to them, understand their concerns, and engage them openly. We will not delegate this process,” he said.
“We will answer the questions, defend our record and character, and present our plan to rebuild Nigeria,” he added.
According to Obi, the willingness of presidential candidates to travel across the country, meet citizens and respond to their concerns should form part of the test for anyone seeking to govern Nigeria. He said a candidate who was unwilling to engage directly with the people would find it difficult to demonstrate the capacity required to govern effectively.
Obi said his campaign would focus on what he described as the need to reset Nigeria by promoting national unity, improving security and putting the economy on a path of inclusive growth. He said a major part of his agenda would be to move the country away from an economy driven mainly by consumption to one based on production.
He argued that Nigeria could not achieve lasting prosperity by depending heavily on imports, stressing the need to strengthen local production, investment, enterprise and human capital development. “Nigeria cannot import its way to prosperity. We will produce more of what we consume, process more of what we produce, and compete more effectively in global markets,” he said.
Obi identified agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy, creative industries and services as sectors capable of driving economic growth, creating jobs and expanding opportunities for Nigerians. He said agriculture should receive greater attention through improved security, irrigation, rural roads, storage facilities, access to finance and better market opportunities.
He also promised to support manufacturing and agro-processing as part of efforts to reduce dependence on imported goods and strengthen Nigeria’s productive capacity. On government spending, Obi said public resources must be used responsibly, with expenditure tied to clear objectives and measurable results.
“Every naira spent by government must have a clear purpose, and major public investments must produce measurable outcomes,” he said, adding that wasteful expenditure would have to be reduced while investments capable of creating jobs and expanding productive capacity were protected.
On security, Obi described insecurity as one of the major obstacles to Nigeria’s development, noting that people cannot farm, travel, trade or invest freely when their safety is not guaranteed. He called for stronger intelligence gathering, improved coordination among security agencies, better policing and border management, greater use of technology and community-based mechanisms for early detection of threats.
He also identified education and healthcare as important areas requiring sustained investment. Obi said improving basic education, universities and technical and vocational training would be necessary to develop the human capital required for economic growth, while healthcare investment should focus particularly on maternal and child health, essential medicines and better support for healthcare workers.
The NDC candidate said Nigeria’s challenges were serious but insisted that the country possessed the human and material resources required to overcome them. “Nigeria’s challenges are real, but so are its opportunities. We have the people, resources, enterprise, and creativity to build a safer, more productive country,” he said. “Our task is to turn these possibilities into results.”
Obi also spoke on regional development, saying every part of the country should be encouraged to build on its economic strengths while contributing to national development. He said the North-West could expand agriculture, livestock, irrigation, agro-processing and manufacturing, while the North-East should focus on reconstruction, agriculture, education and enterprise.
For the North-Central, he proposed greater emphasis on food production, processing and responsible mineral development, while the South-West could further develop manufacturing, technology, finance, trade and the creative economy. He said the South-East could build on its entrepreneurial and industrial base through better infrastructure and increased investment, while the South-South could strengthen its oil and gas, maritime, fisheries, agricultural and environmental sectors.
“Every region must produce. Every region must contribute. Every region must benefit,” Obi said.
He urged Nigerians to use the campaign period to question all presidential candidates and carefully examine their records and proposals before making their choice. “The campaign period gives every citizen an opportunity to join the national conversation,” he said, urging Nigerians to “examine each candidate’s record and proposals, ask tough questions, and demand evidence behind every promise.”
Obi also appealed to political parties and their supporters to keep the campaign focused on issues and avoid violence, hatred and ethnic or religious sentiments. “We should debate ideas without hatred, compete without violence, and disagree without weakening the bonds that unite us,” he said.
He said accountability should not end with the election, stressing that citizens must continue to demand transparency and results from elected officials after voting. “Democracy does not end on election day. Citizens must continue to demand transparency, accountability, and results from those entrusted with the mandate to govern,” he said.
Obi further called for national unity, arguing that a united country would be better positioned to strengthen its institutions, promote fairness and hold leaders accountable. He said the 2027 election should be determined by the capacity and character of candidates rather than ethnicity, religion or political propaganda.
“The 2027 election must be guided by capacity, competence, compassion, character, and commitment,” Obi said, adding that his campaign would focus on “the urgent concerns of Nigerians and not on ethnicity or religion.”
He said the campaign he was commencing with Kwankwaso would be centred on direct engagement with Nigerians, accountability, security, economic production and the need to build institutions capable of outliving individual administrations.
Obi said the task before the country was to turn its considerable resources and human potential into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens, insisting that Nigerians deserve leaders prepared to face them directly and account for their promises.
The campaign flag-off marks the formal commencement of Obi and Kwankwaso’s efforts to win the 2027 presidential election on the NDC platform, with direct engagement with voters, accountability and public scrutiny featuring prominently in Obi’s message to Nigerians and his challenge to other presidential contenders.
