2027: Obi Begins Presidential Campaign in Onitsha, Challenges Voters to Ask Five Key Questions

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has officially commenced his campaign in Onitsha, Anambra State, calling on Nigerians to judge all presidential candidates by their records, competence and ability to improve the lives of citizens.

Obi launched his campaign two days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifted restrictions on campaign activities.

Speaking to journalists at his Onitsha residence, the former Anambra State governor declared that Nigeria “can work and must work” and unveiled his priorities ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Central to his message were five questions he said should determine how Nigerians assess the candidates.

“Are Nigerians better off than they were four years ago? Can they afford food, education, and healthcare? Can businesses produce, expand, and create jobs? Can young people find productive work? Can farmers work safely and get their produce to market? These are the measures that matter,” Obi said.

He promised that, together with his running mate, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, he would tackle insecurity, poverty and hunger while improving education and healthcare and reducing the number of children out of school.

He also promised to pursue economic growth that would benefit ordinary Nigerians, especially the most vulnerable.

Candidates must face Nigerians

Obi said the beginning of the campaign should also mark the beginning of serious public scrutiny of presidential candidates.

He argued that candidates should personally engage Nigerians rather than rely on representatives and political surrogates.

“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,” he said.

He added: “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.”

Obi linked physical engagement with Nigerians to effective leadership, particularly in communities affected by insecurity, terrorism, criminality and flooding.

“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.

‘We will listen to Nigerians’

The NDC candidate pledged that he and Kwankwaso would personally take their campaign across the country.

“We will listen to them, understand their concerns, and engage them openly. We will not delegate this duty to proxies. We will answer questions, defend our record and character, and present our plan to rebuild Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, a presidential candidate unwilling to travel across the country and directly engage voters would lack the capacity required to govern.

“Any presidential candidate who lacks the resolve to travel across the country, meet the people, and respond to their questions lacks the capacity to govern it,” he added.

Consumption to production

Obi said his campaign would be built around what he described as a national reset.

“I commit to commencing the journey of resetting Nigeria by uniting it, securing it on the path of economic and inclusive growth, and moving our country from consumption to production,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to carefully examine the records and proposals of all candidates, ask difficult questions and demand evidence for campaign promises.

He also called for peaceful and issue-based campaigns.

“We should debate ideas without hatred, compete without violence, and disagree without weakening the bonds that unite us. When Nigerians make their choice, that choice must be respected,” he said.

‘Democracy does not end on election day’

Obi further urged citizens to remain active after casting their ballots.

“Democracy does not end on election day. Citizens must continue to demand transparency, accountability, and results from those entrusted with the mandate to govern,” he said.

He argued that Nigeria’s challenges, although significant, were matched by the country’s resources, creativity and human potential.

“Nigeria’s challenges are real, but so are its opportunities. We have the people, resources, enterprise, and creativity to build a safer, more productive country. Our task is to turn these possibilities into results.”

Capacity, competence, compassion, character and commitment

Obi said the 2027 contest should be determined by five qualities: capacity, competence, compassion, character and commitment.

“The 2027 election must be guided by capacity, competence, compassion, character, and commitment,” he said.

He said the NDC campaign would focus on the concerns of Nigerians rather than ethnicity and religion, while urging voters to reject campaigns based on “propaganda, ethnicity, religion, elitism, or cronyism”.

He promised that his campaign team would travel across the country to listen to citizens, understand their concerns and explain its plan to reset Nigeria.

Reforms must improve lives

On economic policy, Obi said reforms should ultimately be measured by their impact on citizens rather than by the reforms themselves.

He said sustainable development required practical measures capable of producing lasting improvements in livelihoods, human capital and economic opportunities.

Obi cited the World Bank’s April 2026 Nigeria Development Update, which, according to him, highlighted the need to translate economic reform and stabilisation into improved livelihoods, stronger human capital, wider opportunities and inclusive growth.

“We will pursue practical reforms that deliver lasting results, combining fiscal discipline with productive investment, as Senator Kwankwaso and I have demonstrated,” he said.

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