The Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has challenged all candidates seeking Nigeria’s presidency in 2027 to publicly defend their records, credentials and policy proposals before the electorate.
Speaking at a press conference in Onitsha, Anambra State, to flag off the party’s 2027 presidential and National Assembly campaigns, Obi said Nigerians deserved to hear directly from those seeking their mandate instead of candidates hiding behind “high walls of power.”
“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,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor, who is running alongside Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, pledged that both men would take their campaign directly to communities across the country rather than relying on proxies.
Obi described the 2027 election as an opportunity for Nigerians to assess the competence, character and ideas of those seeking to lead the country amid worsening economic and security challenges.
Reaffirming his belief that “Nigeria can work, and Nigeria must work,” he identified poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, insecurity, poor infrastructure and unreliable electricity as major problems confronting the nation.
He promised to shift Nigeria from a consumption-driven economy to one focused on production, investment and human capital development, with priority attention to agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy and the creative sector.
According to him, his administration would improve security for farmers, expand irrigation, rural roads, storage facilities and access to finance to boost agricultural production while creating a business environment that encourages investment and job creation.
On security, Obi said no country could prosper when citizens could not farm, travel or conduct business safely. He advocated improved intelligence gathering, stronger policing, better border management, greater use of technology and community-based early warning systems, alongside better coordination among all levels of government.
He also pledged greater investment in education, healthcare and vocational training to equip young Nigerians with skills for employment and entrepreneurship, while improving maternal and child healthcare and access to essential medicines.
Obi urged Nigerians to make the 2027 election a contest of competence, capacity, character and compassion rather than ethnicity or religion.
He called on voters to scrutinise candidates’ records, demand evidence for campaign promises and reject campaigns driven by propaganda, ethnicity, religion or cronyism, saying his ultimate goal was to unite the country, tackle insecurity and poverty, and build an economy that works for all Nigerians.
