By Michael Ovat
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress( NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has challenged all those seeking to lead Nigeria in the 2027 election to come before the electorate, defend their records and answer questions about their capacity to govern the country.
Obi, who spoke at a press conference on Friday to mark the commencement of the 2027 presidential and National Assembly campaigns, said no presidential candidate should hide behind “the high walls of power” or rely on proxies and surrogates during the campaign.
According to him, Nigerians deserve to hear directly from those seeking their mandate and subject their records, credentials and policy proposals to public scrutiny.
“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,” Obi said.
He added: “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’
Obi said genuine leadership required physical presence and empathy, arguing that a presidential candidate could 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,” he said. ExploringAfrican Diaspora Media
“You cannot truly lead people you are unwilling to visit, listen to, and understand.”
The former Anambra State governor, who is seeking the presidency alongside Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, said he and his running mate would personally take their campaign to Nigerians across the country.
“Today, I make this clear commitment: my running mate and I will take our message directly to Nigerians. We will listen to them, understand their concerns, and engage them openly. We will not delegate this duty to proxies,” he said. ExploringAfrican Diaspora Media
Obi said the 2027 election presented Nigerians with an opportunity to assess the records, ideas and programmes of those seeking to lead the country amid what he described as grave economic and security challenges.
He said his central conviction was that “Nigeria can work, and Nigeria must work”.
He identified poverty, food insecurity, internal displacement, unemployment, weak infrastructure, unreliable electricity, insecurity and the high cost of doing business as major challenges confronting the country.
The presidential candidate, however, said the challenges were not beyond the capacity of Nigerians to overcome, arguing that the country possessed the people, resources, market, talent and enterprise required to build a prosperous economy.
“What we must do now is turn these strengths into security, productivity, and shared prosperity,” he said.
He said a government under his leadership would shift Nigeria from a predominantly consumption-driven economy to one focused on 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.
He 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.
He also pledged to strengthen agriculture through improved security, irrigation, rural roads, storage facilities, access to finance and markets, while promoting manufacturing and agro-processing.
On public finances, Obi said every naira spent by government should have a clear purpose and that major public investments should produce measurable outcomes.
“The goal is not growth for its own sake, but an economy that produces more, employs more people, creates wealth, and improves living standards,” he said.
Security as Foundation for Development
Obi identified insecurity as a major obstacle to economic development, saying no country could prosper when its citizens could not farm, travel, trade or conduct business safely.
He advocated improved intelligence gathering and coordination among security agencies, stronger policing and border management, greater use of technology and lawful community-based systems for early identification of threats.
He also called for decentralisation of security management, with effective coordination among the different levels of government.
According to him, security policy must also tackle the conditions that make vulnerable young people susceptible to criminal recruitment.
Obi said his administration would place particular emphasis on young Nigerians, describing the country’s youthful population as an opportunity rather than a burden.
“We will improve basic education, strengthen universities, and expand technical and vocational training,” he said.
He said Nigeria needed not only doctors, engineers, scientists and lawyers, but also technicians, mechanics, builders, nurses, farmers, programmers, manufacturers, artisans and entrepreneurs.
He said the objective would be to secure a “high demographic dividend” from Nigeria’s youthful population.
Obi said a productive economy required a healthy population, promising to strengthen the country’s healthcare system.
He pledged to improve maternal and child health, expand access to essential medicines and equip healthcare workers to serve effectively.
According to him, Nigeria’s poor health indicators remained a major impediment to human-capital development and economic productivity.
Obi said his administration would pursue a development strategy that would enable every region of the country to exploit its comparative advantages while contributing to a productive national economy.
He said the North-West could expand agriculture, livestock, irrigation, agro-processing and manufacturing, while the North-East could accelerate reconstruction and expand agriculture, education and enterprise.
The North-Central, he said, could strengthen food production and processing while responsibly developing its mineral resources.
He identified manufacturing, technology, finance, trade and the creative economy as areas of strength for the South-West, while saying the South-East could build on its entrepreneurial and industrial base through better infrastructure, connectivity and access to investment.
For the South-South, Obi identified oil and gas, maritime services, fisheries and agriculture as areas with potential for greater value creation, alongside stronger environmental protection.
“Every region must produce. Every region must contribute. Every region must benefit,” he said.
Obi appealed to Nigerians to make the 2027 election a contest of competence, capacity, character, compassion and commitment rather than ethnicity or religion.
He urged voters to examine the records and proposals of candidates, ask difficult questions and demand evidence for campaign promises.
He also called for issue-based campaigns devoid of hatred and violence, saying the outcome of the election should be respected by all sides.
“Our campaign will focus on the urgent concerns of Nigerians and not on ethnicity or religion,” he said.
“Nigerians must reject and disregard any campaign driven by propaganda, ethnicity, religion, elitism, or cronyism.”
Obi said his ultimate objective was 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.
He said the campaign would 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.
