The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Party, Peter Obi, has officially commenced his campaign for the 2027 presidential election, challenging other candidates seeking to lead the country to face the electorate, defend their records and answer questions about their capacity to govern.
Obi made the call on Friday at a press conference at his residence in Onitsha, Anambra State, to mark the commencement of the 2027 presidential and National Assembly campaigns.
He said presidential candidates should not hide behind “the high walls of power” or rely on proxies and surrogates during the campaign, stressing that Nigerians deserved to hear directly from those seeking their mandate.
According to him, candidates should subject their records, credentials, policy proposals and leadership capacity 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.
“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.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said effective leadership requires physical presence and empathy, arguing that those seeking to govern the country must understand the realities Nigerians 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.
“You cannot truly lead people you are unwilling to visit, listen to, and understand,” he said.
The former governor, who is seeking the presidency alongside his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, said the duo would personally take their campaign to Nigerians across the country.
He assured Nigerians that they would listen to their concerns, understand their challenges and engage them directly rather than delegate the responsibility to proxies.
Obi said the 2027 election would provide Nigerians with an opportunity to assess the records, ideas and programmes of candidates seeking to lead the country amid what he described as severe economic and security challenges.
He reiterated his conviction that “Nigeria can work, and Nigeria must work.”
Obi identified poverty, food insecurity, internal displacement, unemployment, weak infrastructure, unreliable electricity, insecurity and the high cost of doing business as some of the major challenges confronting the country.
He, however, argued that the challenges were not beyond Nigeria’s capacity to overcome, noting that the country possessed the human resources, market, talent and enterprise required to build a prosperous economy.
The presidential candidate said his administration would seek to 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 pledged to prioritise agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy, the creative industries and services while creating an environment conducive to business investment, job creation and expansion.
Obi also promised 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, he said every naira spent by government must have a clear purpose, adding that major public investments should deliver measurable outcomes.
Obi identified insecurity as another major obstacle to economic development, saying no country could prosper when citizens could not farm, travel, trade or conduct businesses safely.
He advocated improved intelligence gathering and coordination among security agencies, stronger policing and border management, increased use of technology and lawful community-based systems for the early identification of threats.
On education, Obi promised to improve basic education, strengthen universities and expand technical and vocational training.
He also pledged to improve maternal and child healthcare, expand access to essential medicines and equip healthcare workers to deliver effective services.
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 to maximise 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.
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He added that the North-Central could strengthen food production and processing while responsibly developing its mineral resources.
According to him, manufacturing, technology, finance, trade and the creative economy remained areas of strength for the South-West, while the South-East could build on its entrepreneurial and industrial base through improved infrastructure, connectivity and access to investment.
He said the South-South had significant potential in oil and gas, maritime services, fisheries and agriculture, alongside the need for stronger environmental protection.
“Every region must produce. Every region must contribute. Every region must benefit,” he said.
Obi urged voters to scrutinise the records and proposals of all candidates, ask difficult questions and demand evidence to support campaign promises.
He also called for issue-based campaigns devoid of hatred and violence, saying the outcome of the 2027 election should be respected by all sides.
“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,” he said.
Obi said the campaign marked the beginning of what he described as a journey to reset Nigeria by uniting and securing the country while placing it on the path of inclusive economic growth.
