The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Party, Peter Obi, has officially commenced his campaign for the 2027 presidential election, challenging other contenders to come before Nigerians, defend their records and subject their capacity to govern the country to public scrutiny.
Obi made the call on Friday at a press conference at his residence in Onitsha, Anambra State, as campaigns for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections formally began.
The former Anambra State governor said Nigerians deserved to hear directly from every candidate seeking to lead the country, stressing that no aspirant should avoid public engagement by relying on representatives, proxies or political surrogates.
According to Obi, the 2027 election should provide an opportunity for Nigerians to compare the records, credentials, ideas and policy proposals of the various candidates before deciding who deserves their mandate.
“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,” he said.
He added that candidates seeking the presidency should demonstrate the courage to appear before voters, answer difficult questions and defend their records.
“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,” Obi stated.
The former governor also emphasised the importance of physical presence and empathy in leadership, arguing that a president must understand the realities confronting communities across the country.
He said leaders could not effectively govern Nigeria without personally engaging with citizens and understanding the challenges they face.
“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.
“You cannot truly lead people you are unwilling to visit, listen to, and understand.”
Obi said he and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, would personally take their campaign to Nigerians across the country rather than delegate their responsibilities to political surrogates.
He assured citizens that the ticket would engage directly with communities, listen to their concerns and explain its plans for tackling the country’s challenges.
The candidate said the 2027 election provided Nigerians with an important opportunity to examine the records and proposals of those seeking to govern the country at a time of serious economic and security difficulties.
His central message, he said, was that Nigeria possesses the resources and human capacity required to overcome its challenges.
“Nigeria can work, and Nigeria must work,” Obi declared.
He identified poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, internal displacement, inadequate infrastructure, unreliable electricity, insecurity and the high cost of doing business as some of the major problems confronting the country.
According to him, these challenges are serious but not insurmountable because Nigeria possesses the population, natural resources, market, talent and entrepreneurial capacity needed to establish a prosperous economy.
Obi said his proposed administration would focus on transforming Nigeria from what he described as a predominantly consumption-driven economy into a productive economy based on manufacturing, 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 pledged to prioritise sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy, creative industries and services.
According to him, the objective would be to create an environment where businesses can invest, employ workers and expand without unnecessary regulatory and infrastructure constraints.
On agriculture, Obi said his administration would improve security for farmers, expand irrigation, develop rural roads, increase access to financing and improve storage and market systems.
He also promised stronger support for manufacturing and agro-processing as part of efforts to increase domestic production, create jobs and reduce dependence on imported goods.
The presidential candidate also addressed the management of public finances, stressing that every naira spent by government must have a clearly defined purpose and produce measurable outcomes.
He said major public investments should be evaluated based on their ability to generate social and economic benefits for Nigerians.
Obi identified insecurity as one of the biggest barriers to national development, arguing that no country can achieve sustained prosperity when citizens are unable to farm, travel, trade or conduct business safely.
To address the challenge, he proposed better intelligence gathering and coordination among security agencies, stronger policing and border management, greater use of technology and lawful community-based systems for identifying threats at an early stage.
Education and healthcare also featured prominently in his campaign priorities.
Obi pledged to improve basic education, strengthen universities and expand technical and vocational training to equip young Nigerians with practical skills for employment and entrepreneurship.
He also promised to improve maternal and child healthcare, increase access to essential medicines and strengthen the capacity of healthcare workers.
According to him, Nigeria’s poor health indicators constitute a major obstacle to human-capital development and economic productivity.
The candidate said his development strategy would recognise the different economic strengths of Nigeria’s regions and encourage every part of the country to develop its comparative advantages while contributing to national growth.
He said the North-West could strengthen agriculture, livestock, irrigation, agro-processing and manufacturing, while the North-East could focus on reconstruction, agriculture, education and enterprise.
The North-Central, he said, could expand food production and processing while developing its mineral resources responsibly.
For the South-West, Obi identified manufacturing, technology, finance, trade and the creative economy as important areas of opportunity.
He said the South-East could build on its entrepreneurial and industrial base through better infrastructure, stronger connectivity and improved access to investment.
For the South-South, Obi identified oil and gas, maritime services, fisheries and agriculture as sectors with significant potential for greater value creation, alongside stronger environmental protection.
“Every region must produce. Every region must contribute. Every region must benefit,” he said.
Obi also appealed to voters to scrutinise the records and policies of all candidates rather than accepting campaign promises without evidence.
He urged Nigerians to ask difficult questions and demand concrete explanations about how candidates intend to address the country’s pressing challenges.
He called for an issue-based campaign devoid of hatred, violence, ethnic sentiments and religious division, insisting that the 2027 election should be a contest of ideas, competence, character and policy.
“Our campaign will focus on the urgent concerns of Nigerians and not on ethnicity or religion,” he said.
Obi also warned Nigerians against political messages driven by propaganda, elitism and cronyism, urging voters to focus on policies capable of improving their lives.
He said his ultimate objective was to unite the country, defeat insecurity, reduce poverty and hunger, address the problem of out-of-school children, strengthen education and healthcare, and create an economy capable of providing opportunities for citizens.
He further called on all political actors to respect the outcome of the election and pursue any grievances through lawful democratic channels.
According to him, the campaign represents the beginning of a broader effort to reset Nigeria by strengthening national unity, improving security and placing the country on a path of inclusive economic growth.
“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.
With political activities now officially underway, Obi’s campaign is expected to take its message of economic transformation, security, production, institutional reform and accountable leadership to voters across the country as the 2027 presidential contest gathers momentum.
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