Precious Nwonu, Enugu
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has urged Nigerians to determine the issues that should shape political campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi made the call on Saturday during an NDC town hall meeting in Kaduna, where he said political parties should engage citizens directly rather than impose campaign promises on them.
The former Anambra State governor said the Kaduna meeting was designed to hear directly from Nigerians about the challenges affecting them and incorporate their concerns into the party’s political agenda.
He criticised the practice of presenting attractive manifestos and making promises during election campaigns that may prove difficult to fulfil after politicians assume office.
“What we want now is that we want politics to be demand-driven, not supply-driven,” Obi said.
He said politicians should explain their plans before elections and allow voters to scrutinise what they intend to achieve if elected.
Obi also called for an end to tribal and religious politics, advocating greater emphasis on national unity and social cohesion.
“We don’t want these politics of tribalism, politics of religion. No. We want politics of unity, politics of love, politics of care,” he said.
On insecurity, Obi said the security situation had made Nigerians increasingly uncertain about travelling between different parts of the country.
He recalled that people had questioned the safety of his journey to Kaduna for the town hall.
“When I tell people I’m coming to Kaduna this morning, everybody’s telling you, are you sure? Are you not sure? How?” he said.
Obi said an administration led by him would make security a priority and seek to restore Nigerians’ confidence to travel freely across the country.
He also said that, if elected, he would spend his holidays in Nigeria rather than travelling abroad, using such periods to visit communities affected by insecurity.
“In four years, I will never take holidays outside this country,” he said, listing Zamfara, Borno, Kano, Oyo and Ondo among states he would visit.
The NDC candidate also spoke on education and social mobility, saying government policies should create opportunities for children regardless of their family backgrounds.
“We want policies where every child will go to school,” he said, adding that Nigeria should become “a nation where a child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody.”
Obi also outlined economic priorities at the meeting, saying an NDC government would seek to move Nigeria from consumption to production by investing in areas capable of creating jobs.
He said his proposed administration would focus on investment rather than borrowing for consumption, while also seeking to return more young Nigerians to agriculture and small-scale businesses.
The NDC vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, also addressed the gathering, urging Nigerians to participate actively in the electoral process.
Kwankwaso said the turnout at the Kaduna engagement demonstrated the level of interest in the party’s town hall initiative.
He identified insecurity, job creation, education and agricultural development among the issues requiring attention, while stressing the need for policies that would improve opportunities for Nigerians.
The Kaduna engagement is part of the NDC’s ongoing town hall series aimed at interacting directly with citizens ahead of the 2027 elections. A similar session was held in Port Harcourt earlier in September.
The party said the meetings are intended to provide a platform for Nigerians to raise concerns, ask questions and contribute to discussions on the country’s political and socio-economic direction.
