Gideon Arinze in Enugu
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to tour the country and account for his performance in office before seeking another term in 2027.
Obi spoke Thursday in Enugu at the Obi-Kwankwaso Town Hall Meeting, attended by the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Obi said Nigerians deserved to know what the president had achieved with the funds borrowed and revenue generated by his administration.
“Let other candidates move around and tell Nigerians what they will do for them. Your president said he will not campaign across Nigeria. He must come and campaign and tell the people what he has to offer,” he said.
Speaking further, he said: “He has been travelling outside the country. Let him take 36 days and go round and say what he has done with billions of dollars borrowed and the ones we earned.
“Whoever wants to be president must go round and account for his time. The job requires energy and time. Let him say what he has done before we give him another one.”
He added that Nigeria was grappling with hunger, unemployment and insecurity, insisting that the country needed a leader committed to addressing the challenges.
Obi further stated that his administration, if elected in 2027, would prioritise national unity, security, employment, healthcare and accountability in the management of public funds.
“I will unite Nigeria as president. I will secure Nigeria. I will not be president and someone will kidnap our children, and we will not enter the bush together,” he said.
Obi urged Nigerians not to support him because of his ethnic background, but on the basis of his qualifications and commitment to national development while also calling on supporters to mobilise voters ahead of the 2027 general election, urging them to sustain their efforts in promoting the party.
In his remarks, a former presidential adviser, Pat Utomi, said Nigeria could become one of the best places to live if genuine change was achieved.
“The time is now for genuine change to happen. We need to ensure that people come out massively, vote and defend their votes,” Utomi said.
The senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, described Obi and Kwankwaso as leaders ready to serve the country, urging supporters to mobilise for the election.
He said supporters would resist attempts to intimidate them and called on Nigerians to use their votes to express their choices in 2027 while also commending Kwankwaso for his role in strengthening the party’s support in northern Nigeria, expressing confidence in the ticket’s appeal across the country.