The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has cautioned that Nigeria will continue to experience failed leadership if citizens prioritize tribal affiliations over competence and capability when voting.
Obi emphasized that without competence, capacity, character, and compassion, no nation can achieve effective leadership.
In a post shared on his official X handle on Monday, the former Anambra State governor highlighted the consequences of leadership devoid of these essential qualities, which Nigerians have already witnessed.
“Leadership of a nation is such that it’s either succeeding or failing, none can be hidden. There are critical areas of leadership that must exist for a nation to move forward, and these are summed up in four Cs: Competence, Capacity, Character and Compassion. Where these four are non-existent, there is no magic you can do.
“It’s in this line that I have always maintained that we must move away from voting based on tribe and religion, and begin to vote for people with competence, capacity, character, and compassion, because we have all seen, painfully, what leadership without these qualities has done to our country,” Obi’s post read.
Obi further underscored the significance of these qualities, emphasizing that Nigeria requires a leader who comprehends the challenges, possesses the knowledge and experience, and has clear strategies to address them.
“Competence because Nigeria today needs a leader who understands the issues, who has the knowledge, experience, and clear ideas to solve them. Capacity because it is not a ceremonial position; it requires strength, stamina, and the mental energy to confront our complex challenges.
“And above all, leadership must be rooted in character and integrity because without “integrity, public trust collapses, corruption thrives, and selfishness takes over. But perhaps most importantly, we need compassion, because when a leader lacks compassion, human lives are treated as statistics, and suffering is ignored.”
He refenced the recent flood in Niger State and attack in Benue State by suspected herdsmen as occasions where these qualities were needed but was lacking from the leader of the country whom he lamented never visited those areas.
In contrast, the former governor gave an example of how both India and South African leaders were quick to visit the scene of plane crash and flooding in their respective countries, saying that was leadership with compassion.
He lamented that President Bola Tinubu failed to visit the affected areas. In contrast, he cited examples of leaders in India and South Africa who promptly visited the scenes of a plane crash and flooding, describing such gestures as demonstrations of compassionate leadership.
“Sadly, the evidence is right before our eyes. Recently, we witnessed severe flooding in Niger State that claimed nearly 200 lives, with many still missing. Yet, not even a single presidential visit, this, in a nation where the scene of the tragedy is less than an hour away by helicopter.
“Just days ago, over 200 Nigerians, innocent men, women, children, and even soldiers were massacred in Benue State. Again, no presidential visit. No physical presence at the scenes of pain. No genuine national mourning. No leadership face to comfort the grieving or give hope to the people.
“Yet, we have seen what true leadership looks like elsewhere: In India, after a plane crash killed nearly 200 people, the Prime Minister was physically at the scene within hours.
“In South Africa, when floods claimed 78 lives, the president went personally to the affected communities, stood with them, and took responsibility.
“That is leadership with compassion. That is leadership that understands the value of human life. But here in Nigeria, we have normalised leadership without empathy, without accountability, and without a human face.
“That is why I insist: Nigeria does not just need another president; Nigeria needs a leader, a leader with competence, capacity, character, and compassion. Until we choose leaders on these principles, the cycle of pain will only continue.”