Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has pushed back against suggestions that he lacks the capacity to unite Nigeria, asserting that his track record and leadership experience speak for themselves.
Speaking during an exclusive interview on Sunday Politics with Seun Okinbaloye on Channels Television, Obi responded to remarks by former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, who had cast doubt on his ability to bring the country together.
Brushing aside the criticism, Obi said his actions over the years told their own story.
“I will unite Nigeria, and I know what it takes to unite Nigeria,” the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate said.
The former Anambra State governor argued that his record of humanitarian engagement across the country — not political talk — was the truest reflection of his commitment to national unity.
He pointed to several visits and interventions across northern Nigeria, particularly in communities ravaged by conflict and flooding.
He recalled making the trip to Borno State to condole with Sheriff after the killing of the former governor’s brother in the early days of the Boko Haram insurgency.
“At the onset of this Boko Haram issue… his own brother was killed. I travelled to Borno State to console him. When people didn’t want to go there, I went to Borno State.”
He also disclosed that he had visited the state following severe flooding, donating ₦50 million, meeting with the governor and the Shehu of Borno, and calling on internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.
Obi said similar engagements had taken him to several other northern states, including Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi and Sokoto.
“I’ve been to the most troubled parts of the North… I’ve been to Benue up to four times, visiting the various affected communities… I’ve spent Christmas and New Year in IDP camps.”
He added that he had funded boreholes in various northern communities and supported educational, health and agricultural institutions across the region.
“I’ve built boreholes in Gombe, in Kaduna, in every part of the North. When the University of Sokoto Agricultural Faculty said all they need is a borehole for their farm, I did it,” Obi said.
He further claimed that no other active Nigerian politician had criss-crossed the country by road as extensively as he had.
“There’s no politician today in Nigeria… that has been able to travel places that I have been by road… because I want the country to be together, and I understand the people.”
On whether Nigeria could move past the wounds of the Civil War, Obi said his presidency would mark the start of a new chapter of healing.
“A Peter Obi presidency will commence the healing and the unity that is required to stabilise and build a better Nigeria.”
He cautioned against allowing history to become a trap.
“You cannot be trapped in the process of yesterday. Those who are trapped in the process of yesterday will lose the future,” he said.
“We have a history, but we must not be trapped in it. It must not deprive us of tomorrow.”
Obi said his ultimate goal was a Nigeria where every citizen could thrive free of ethnic or religious burden.
“I want the child of Nigeria to be able to grow up in Nigeria, go to school, and live his life without thinking about his tribe, without thinking about yesterday, without thinking about his religion, but as a Nigerian, proud of it.”
Responding to allegations that he had made divisive comments about northerners, Obi flatly denied the claims.
“That’s a lie. It never happened.”
He noted that many of his closest aides and associates over the years had been northerners and Muslims, adding that his aide-de-camp during his governorship was from Kano.
“My ADC was from Kano, and he’s a Muslim.”
He also revealed that all the cooks who served him during his eight years as Anambra governor were from northern Nigeria, and that he had sponsored Muslims from the state on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
“As governor, I was paying for Muslims living in Anambra to go to Hajj.”
He added that he currently supports Almajiri schools in Kano and Bauchi, as well as a School of Nursing in Bauchi.
Obi called for national conversations to shift away from personal attacks and focus on the country’s most pressing challenges — poverty, insecurity, education and healthcare.
“Instead of us discussing the problems of the country, people come before you to discuss Peter Obi.”
He closed with a firm pledge of inclusivity.
“I will never divide Nigeria. I will unite Nigeria. I will show love to every part of Nigeria and make sure things are done differently, because I’m going to involve everybody.”