Obi flags off campaign, challenges presidential candidates to face Nigerians, defend their records

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Party, inaugurated his campaign for the 2027 presidential election. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Obi challenged other presidential contenders to come before voters, defend their records and answer questions regarding their ability to govern effectively.

He emphasized that candidates should not hide behind "the high walls of power" or use proxies during the campaign. Obi stressed that Nigerians deserved direct interaction with candidates seeking their mandate and a thorough examination of their records, credentials, and policy proposals. He asserted that genuine leadership required physical presence and empathy, as communities across Nigeria are grappling with issues such as banditry, criminality, terrorism, and flooding.

Obi and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, pledged to personally campaign across the country, assuring voters they would listen to their concerns and engage them openly, without delegating responsibilities to proxies. The 2027 election, Obi said, provided Nigerians with an opportunity to assess the records, ideas, and programs of those vying for leadership amid various economic and security challenges.

These challenges included poverty, food insecurity, internal displacement, unemployment, weak infrastructure, unreliable electricity, insecurity, and the high cost of doing business. However, he noted that these challenges were not insurmountable, as Nigeria possesses the necessary human, resource, market, talent, and enterprise to build a prosperous economy.

Obi pledged to transform Nigeria's economy from a consumption-driven model to one focused on production, investment, enterprise, and human-capital development. He planned to prioritize agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy, creative industries, and services, while creating an environment conducive to business investment and expansion.

In addressing public finances, Obi emphasized that every government expenditure should have a clear purpose, with major investments producing measurable outcomes. He also identified insecurity as a significant obstacle to economic development, advocating for improved intelligence gathering, stronger policing, border management, and the use of technology and community-based systems for early threat identification.