Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, has formally launched his 2027 campaign ahead of the upcoming election, urging other contenders to stand in front of voters, defend their records, and respond to enquiries about their ability to lead the nation.
Speaking at a press gathering on Friday at his Onitsha home to commemorate the start of the 2027 presidential and National Assembly campaigns, Obi stated that no presidential candidate should run for office by hiding behind “the high walls of power or relying on proxies and surrogates.”
He emphasised that Nigerians should have direct access to persons pursuing their mandate and be able to examine their backgrounds, qualifications, and proposed policies.
He said, “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.”
He reassured the crowd that he and his running companion would not assign their responsibilities to proxies and that they were dedicated to hearing them out, comprehending their worries, and interacting with them honestly.
Regarding public finances, Peter Obi stated that significant public investments should provide quantifiable results and that every naira spent by the government should have a defined purpose.
Voters should examine the records
As part of his 2027 campaign, Obi advised voters to scrutinise politicians’ platforms and records, pose challenging queries, and demand proof of their campaign pledges.
Additionally, he advocated for issue-based campaigns free from violence and intolerance, stating that all parties should respect the election’s result.
“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 noted.
He pledged to improve access to essential medications, advance maternal and child health, and equip healthcare workers with the necessary tools for effective service delivery.
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He asserted that Nigeria’s poor health metrics remain a major obstacle to human capital development and economic productivity.
Obi also 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.
According to the former Anambra governor, his administration would work toward a development plan that would allow each region of the country to leverage its unique strengths to support a thriving national economy.
He asserted that while the Northwest could expand agriculture, livestock, irrigation, agro-processing, and manufacturing, the Northeast could accelerate reconstruction while advancing agriculture, education, and enterprise.
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