Obi Launches 2027 Campaign, Challenges Rivals to Defend Records

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Party, Peter Obi, has officially kicked off his 2027 campaign, urging fellow contenders to face Nigerians directly, defend their records, and present clear visions for the country’s future.

Speaking at a press conference in Onitsha on Friday, Obi insisted that no candidate should “hide behind the high walls of power or rely on proxies,” stressing that leadership requires presence, empathy, and direct engagement with citizens.

Obi, who is running alongside Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, pledged to personally take his campaign across Nigeria, listening to citizens’ concerns and offering solutions to pressing challenges such as poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, weak infrastructure, and insecurity.

He outlined his economic vision to shift Nigeria from consumption to production, prioritising agriculture, manufacturing, technology, energy, and creative industries.

“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.

On security, Obi promised stronger intelligence gathering, improved policing, border management, and community-based systems to restore safety and enable economic growth.

He also pledged reforms in education, healthcare, and vocational training to boost human capital development.

Highlighting regional strengths, Obi said each zone must contribute to national productivity: agriculture and livestock in the North-West, reconstruction and enterprise in the North-East, mineral development in the North-Central, manufacturing and technology in the South-West, entrepreneurship in the South-East, and oil, gas, and maritime services in the South-South.

Obi urged voters to demand issue-based campaigns free of propaganda, ethnicity, or religion, declaring: “Our campaign will focus on the urgent concerns of Nigerians. My ultimate objective is to unite the country, defeat insecurity, reduce poverty and hunger, and create an economy that works for all. A New Nigeria is possible.”

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