2027: No excuses, no blame game, we’ll deliver from day one –Obi

From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has vowed that he and his running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, will take immediate responsibility for Nigeria’s economic and security challenges if elected in 2027, promising measurable results from their first day in office rather than excuses or blame for the failures of previous administrations.

Obi declared that Nigerians should no longer tolerate leaders who spend their time recounting inherited problems instead of providing solutions, insisting that an NDC administration would confront insecurity, corruption, hunger, unemployment and the country’s electricity crisis with urgency.

“We don’t want you to hire us to tell you about our problem. It’s only in Nigeria that you hire people, and they start reminding you of what happened in the past. No, we don’t want you to hire us to tell you about our problem. We want you to hire us to improve from today,” he said.

Speaking at a dinner in Abuja on Monday to mark the inauguration of the party’s National Presidential Campaign Council, unveiling of its national secretariat and presentation of certificates of return to candidates, the former Anambra State governor said Nigerians deserved a government that would be judged by improvements in their living conditions rather than explanations for its inability to deliver.

“The purpose of governance is to solve problems, not to blame people. Kwankwaso and I will not blame anybody. We will create that new Nigeria that is possible,” he declared.

Obi accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to translate increased government revenue and borrowing into improved living conditions, challenging it to account for public spending and explain why Nigerians continued to face hardship despite the resources available to the government.

He alleged that capital expenditure under the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets remained below 20 per cent, while contractors continued to experience difficulties securing payments for government projects.

Making corruption a central issue of his campaign, Obi promised to stop the diversion of public resources and ensure that government funds were deployed for public services, infrastructure and economic development. He insisted that public officials must be held accountable for the management of public funds, warning that those found culpable of corruption would face the law.

On insecurity, Obi pledged emergency measures to confront killings, kidnappings and attacks on communities, arguing that the president must demonstrate direct leadership in responding to security emergencies rather than remain detached from the plight of affected citizens.

He said an NDC administration would prioritise security in Plateau, Benue, Zamfara, Sokoto and Borno states, among other troubled areas, while ensuring that displaced communities could return to their homes and resume productive activities.

Obi also promised to declare an emergency in agriculture, particularly in northern Nigeria, where insecurity has prevented farmers from cultivating large expanses of land.

“We have vast land in the north. When we secure the north, our farmers must go back and produce what we eat and what we use for our industries,” he said.

The presidential candidate maintained that securing agricultural communities would boost food production, reduce food prices, generate employment and strengthen industries dependent on agricultural raw materials.

He said Nigeria must move away from an economy driven by consumption and borrowing towards one anchored on production, industrial development and small businesses.

Obi promised to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises, which he said numbered more than 40 million but received less than five per cent of bank lending. He pledged to increase their share of credit to more than 20 per cent, alongside tax holidays and other incentives to stimulate investment, entrepreneurship and employment.

On electricity, he promised emergency interventions in generation, transmission and distribution, stressing that reliable power supply was essential to industrial development, business survival and economic growth.

The former governor also pledged to establish functional primary healthcare centres in every ward within two years of assuming office and introduce measures to reduce the number of out-of-school children.

He maintained that access to education, healthcare and economic opportunities should not depend on family background or political connections. Obi also warned against intimidation and harassment of opposition supporters, insisting that the 2027 elections must be contested through peaceful campaigns and decided by voters at the ballot box.

He urged political actors to embrace civility and warned against attempts to undermine the electoral process.

Meanwhile, Obi’s running mate, Kwankwaso, had earlier ruled out withdrawing the NDC presidential ticket in favour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or any other political party.

In an October 18 statement, the former Kano State governor dismissed suggestions that the NDC was working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or might abandon the presidential contest, maintaining that he and Obi remained committed to their political programme.

He accused the ADC Presidential Campaign Council of directing attacks against the NDC ticket instead of presenting its own programme to Nigerians. Kwankwaso said the ticket would focus on national unity and solutions to insecurity, educational challenges, agricultural development, healthcare, infrastructure and economic difficulties.

Also speaking at Monday’s gathering, former Bayelsa State governor and Chairman of the NDC National Campaign Council, Senator Seriake Dickson, said the party was established to provide Nigerians with an alternative political platform and prevent the country from drifting towards a one-party system.

Dickson challenged Nigerians to examine the performance of the APC administration, particularly its record on security, corruption and economic management, before deciding whether to renew its mandate.

He argued that the government had failed to deliver the improvements expected by Nigerians and urged voters to assess political parties on their programmes, performance and commitment to democratic accountability.

The former governor also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure a free, fair and credible election, while urging security agencies to remain neutral throughout the electoral process.

He charged NDC candidates to take the party’s message to communities across the country and avoid violence, stressing that political differences should be resolved through democratic competition and a contest of ideas.

Similarly, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the NDC Campaign Advisory Council, Babachir Lawal, warned against electoral manipulation and intimidation, declaring that the party would mobilise supporters to monitor voting, counting and collation of results.

“This election will be won and lost at the polling booths, not the courts,” he said.

Lawal urged party members to prepare adequately for election day and ensure that votes were properly counted, recorded and announced, stressing that vigilance at polling units and collation centres would be critical to safeguarding the electoral process.

He said the NDC would pursue an issues-based campaign, presenting Nigerians with its programmes, implementation strategies and measurable targets rather than relying on personal attacks.

Earlier, the NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, warned candidates against treating their nominations as automatic entitlements to political office, insisting that elected officials must be held accountable for their campaign promises.

Cleopas said Nigerians should reject public officeholders who failed to deliver essential services, stressing that political leaders must understand that electoral mandates were tied to performance.

He also cautioned members against anti-party activities, urging supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso to work equally for the success of the party’s governorship, National Assembly and state House of Assembly candidates.

According to him, an NDC administration would require sufficient legislative representation to implement its programmes, making cooperation among candidates and party members essential.

The chairman further disclosed that the leadership was working to reconcile aggrieved aspirants following the party’s primaries and resolve outstanding issues affecting some candidates.

At the party’s National Executive Committee meeting, National Treasurer, Dr Peter Onigah, disclosed that the NDC had generated approximately N8.53 billion from nomination forms, membership dues, levies and supporters’ contributions since its establishment.

He said about N2.40 billion had been spent on party activities, including primaries, publicity and administrative expenses, leaving approximately N6.13 billion.

Onigah maintained that the leadership had exercised financial discipline and would provide a detailed breakdown of the party’s transactions before the end of its first accounting year.

The party also inaugurated its National Presidential Campaign Council, with Dickson as chairman, Obi as co-chairman, Kwankwaso as co-vice-chairman and Ibrahim Hussain Abdulkarim as Director-General of the presidential campaign.

Its newly unveiled national secretariat at 393 Etang Obuli Crescent, Jabi, Abuja, will serve as the party’s administrative headquarters and campaign coordination centre ahead of the general elections.

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