Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Party, has commenced his campaign for the 2027 presidential election, urging other contenders to face Nigerians directly and explain what they have achieved and what they intend to offer the country.
Obi made the statement on Friday at a press briefing held at his Onitsha residence to mark the commencement of campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
He said Nigerians should be able to question those seeking the presidency about their past performance, qualifications and plans for the country.
“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 the country.
“Every candidate seeking the presidency must have the courage to come before the people, answer their questions, defend their records, and subject their vision to public scrutiny.
“Leadership Requires Presence and Empathy. Genuine leadership required physical presence and empathy, a presidential candidate would not effectively lead communities without understanding their circumstances.
“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.
“You cannot truly lead people you are unwilling to visit, listen to, and understand.”
The former Anambra State governor said he and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, would take their campaign across the country themselves rather than depend on representatives.
Obi said they would engage voters directly, listen to their concerns and understand the difficulties facing different communities.
He described the 2027 election as an opportunity for Nigerians to carefully compare the records, ideas and programmes of the various candidates.
According to him, the country’s major problems include insecurity, poverty, food shortages, unemployment, displacement, poor infrastructure, unstable electricity and the difficult business environment.
He maintained that Nigeria had sufficient resources, skilled people and entrepreneurial capacity to overcome these challenges.
Obi said his proposed government would prioritise production, investment, entrepreneurship and human capital instead of allowing the economy to remain heavily dependent on consumption.
“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.
“I promised to prioritise agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy, creative industries and services, while creating an environment in which businesses could invest, employ workers and expand without unnecessary regulatory and infrastructure constraints.
“I pledged to strengthen agriculture through improved security, irrigation, rural roads, storage facilities, access to finance and markets, while promoting manufacturing and agro-processing,” he added.
On public spending, Obi said government must ensure that every naira spent serves a clear purpose and that major projects deliver tangible results.
He also identified insecurity as a major threat to economic growth, arguing that people cannot farm, trade or travel freely when their safety is not guaranteed.
He proposed stronger intelligence gathering, better cooperation among security agencies, improved policing and border control, wider use of technology and community-based mechanisms for detecting threats.
“We will improve basic education, strengthen universities, and expand technical and vocational training,” he said.
The former governor also promised improvements in maternal and child healthcare, access to essential medicines and the working conditions of healthcare personnel.
Obi said Nigeria’s poor health outcomes continued to affect productivity and the development of its human resources.
He further outlined how different regions could develop their economic strengths, with agriculture and agro-processing receiving greater attention in parts of the North, while manufacturing, technology, finance, trade, creative industries and entrepreneurship could drive growth in the South.
“The North-Central could strengthen food production and processing while responsibly developing its mineral resources. Manufacturing, technology, finance, trade and the creative economy are the areas of strength for the South-West, while the South-East could build on its entrepreneurial and industrial base through better infrastructure, connectivity and access to investment.
“For the South-South, oil and gas, maritime services, fisheries and agriculture are areas with potential for greater value creation, alongside stronger environmental protection.
“Every region must produce. Every region must contribute. Every region must benefit,” he added.
Obi called on voters to scrutinise candidates’ previous records, question their campaign promises and demand clear evidence of how they intend to deliver on their plans.
He urged politicians to keep the campaign focused on issues and avoid ethnic and religious divisions.
“Our campaign will focus on the urgent concerns of Nigerians and not on ethnicity or religion.
“Nigerians must reject and disregard any campaign driven by propaganda, ethnicity, religion, elitism, or cronyism.
“My ultimate objective is to unite the country, defeat insecurity, reduce poverty and hunger, tackle the problem of out-of-school children, improve education and healthcare and create an economy that works for all Nigerians.
“The campaign will mark the beginning of a journey to reset Nigeria by uniting the country, securing it and placing it on the path of inclusive economic growth. A New Nigeria is possible,” Obi declared.
