By Our Correspondent
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, declaring that he lacks the energy, competence and capacity required to govern Nigeria effectively.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said the country needed new leadership to address its worsening challenges, insisting that Nigerians could no longer afford to be governed by a president who, in his view, was not sufficiently available to tackle the nation’s problems.
He spoke on Monday at a dinner in Abuja organised to present certificates of return to the NDC’s candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate accused the Tinubu administration of failing to address the country’s pressing challenges, arguing that the situation had made a change in leadership imperative.
“Everything is collapsing. Nigerians are looking for new leadership, and I can assure you that we will get it. Today, President Tinubu has led a government that lacks competence, capacity, compassion and commitment to deal with Nigeria’s problems.
“Above all, President Tinubu does not have the energy that can solve power for Nigeria today. And he must go. He needs to go home.
“Nigerians cannot be governed with his energy of today. The people need a President who will be available, and that will always be there,” Obi said.
Obi also warned against electoral manipulation ahead of the 2027 general elections, declaring that his party would resist any attempt to undermine the credibility of the polls.
He called on electoral stakeholders to ensure a free, fair and credible process, warning those who might contemplate rigging the election that the NDC would not allow the will of the people to be subverted.
“Let it be known that if anybody rigs 2027, we will rig him. We want a free, fair and credible election. Don’t give anybody an excuse. We need to make this country work. Nigerians should be proud to travel anywhere,” he said.
The NDC presidential candidate also condemned the alleged harassment of his party’s supporters and other Nigerians, warning that his preference for peaceful conduct should not be mistaken for weakness.
“So, go out and campaign. And for those who are harassing our supporters and innocent Nigerians, let me warn you again. Humility is not weakness. It is a virtue. Good behaviour is not weakness. Nobody has a monopoly on rascality,” Obi said.
He appealed to political actors to end intimidation and assured party supporters that he would campaign across the country ahead of the elections.
“I am warning and pleading with everybody that enough is enough. I will go to every state and campaign in every Senatorial zone there because we are Nigerians,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NDC national chairman, Moses Cleopas, has warned party members against anti-party activities, insisting that supporters of Obi must work for the success of all the party’s candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Cleopas gave the warning during the party’s National Executive Committee meeting on Monday, where members discussed preparations for the elections and reaffirmed their commitment to securing victory at the polls.
He said members who worked against candidates elected on the party’s platform would face sanctions in accordance with the party’s constitution.
According to him, supporting Obi for president while rejecting other NDC candidates over personal differences would undermine the party’s electoral prospects and weaken its ability to govern effectively if it wins the presidency.
“If you are supporting Peter Obi as the presidential candidate, you cannot say, ‘Because I don’t like the face of my governorship candidate, I will back the one from an opposition party.’ How do you then respect Obi when he becomes the President of this country? It had to be NDC from top to bottom,” Cleopas said.
He stressed that the party needed substantial representation in the National Assembly to complement its presidential ambition and enable it to implement its policies if elected into power.
Cleopas urged party leaders, chapter chairmen and other members to prioritise unity and support all candidates who emerged under the NDC platform, regardless of personal preferences.
He warned that members who openly worked against the party’s candidates would be liable to disciplinary action under its constitution.
The party’s national leader, Seriake Dickson, also defended the formation of the NDC, saying the party was established to prevent Nigeria from becoming a one-party state under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dickson accused the APC of failing to fulfil its promises on security and the fight against corruption, while worsening the country’s economic situation despite its pledge to turn the economy around.
Speaking at the Abuja dinner, he said the NDC was established to provide Nigerians with an alternative political platform and challenge what he described as the wrong direction in which the APC had taken the country.
“The main reason we formed this platform is to ensure that Nigeria does not become a one-party state. And by the grace of God, that prayer will be answered,” Dickson said.
He questioned the APC’s performance in tackling insecurity and corruption, noting that the party had made both issues central to its campaign promises when it assumed power in 2015.
“We disagree because the APC promised to secure Nigeria. Have they secured it? We disagree with the direction they have taken Nigeria because they promised to fight corruption since 2015. Have they done it?” he asked.
Dickson also criticised the ruling party’s economic policies, arguing that the administration had failed to deliver the economic turnaround it promised Nigerians.
“They even vowed that they were going to turn around the economy. They have turned around the economy, clearly. But it is for the worse. They have taken our economy from top to bottom,” he said.
The NDC leader expressed confidence in the party’s prospects in the 2027 elections, describing its candidates as capable of delivering the change Nigerians desire.
He said party members had overcome considerable challenges to establish the platform and urged the candidates to remain committed to its vision.
Dickson also expressed optimism about the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, saying he believed the NDC presidential candidate and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, could usher in the change the party was promising.
“All of us have collectively defied all odds to take this uncommon, difficult path. Today we are not alone. We can now see on the horizon the change that we all desire and that a new Nigeria that is possible will be ushered in by our dear presidential candidate and his running mate,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NDC has disclosed that it recorded revenue of N8.53bn within eight months of its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, with N6.13bn remaining after expenditure of N2.40bn.
The party’s National Treasurer, Dr Peter Onigah, disclosed the figures on the sidelines of the party’s third NEC meeting after presenting its financial statement.
The reported figures indicate that the party retained approximately 72 per cent of its revenue, as it prepares to expand its structures and intensify political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Onigah said the party was committed to transparency, prudence and accountability in managing its finances, adding that a detailed breakdown of its transactions would be provided as it approaches the end of its first accounting year.
He attributed the party’s financial management approach to the experience of its officials and the guidance of its national leadership and National Working Committee.
The treasurer also appealed to Nigerians and party members to support the NDC financially, noting that the party was still building its structures and had yet to secure control of government at any level.
“As a new party, we don’t have people in government yet. All of us are outside the government. So we need to contribute together and ensure that our party will prevail and achieve the desired objectives,” he said.
Also speaking, Senator Victor Umeh commended the party’s leadership for presenting its financial statement and retaining more than N6bn from its reported revenue.
Umeh described the balance as seed money for the party’s future activities but acknowledged that additional funding would be required to meet its organisational and campaign needs.
He said the funds were raised through contributions from party members rather than external sources and urged supporters to contribute towards financing the party’s programmes ahead of the 2027 elections.
He also encouraged the party’s leadership to consider established practices in party financing, particularly contributions from state chapters and other stakeholders during election and nomination periods.
