Obi Pledges Emergency Rule on Security, Power, Farming

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pledged to make the fight against corruption a priority, promising emergency interventions in security, agriculture, education, healthcare and electricity if elected in 2027.
Speaking on Monday at the inauguration of the party’s National Presidential Campaign Council and the presentation of certificates of return, Obi said his administration would deliver measurable results rather than blame past governments. “The purpose of governance is to solve problems, not to blame people. Kwankwaso and I will not blame anybody,” he said, referring to his running mate, former Kano State governor Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
The former Anambra State governor questioned what Nigerians had gained from higher revenues and borrowing under President Bola Tinubu, and urged the Federal Government to account for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets. He alleged that capital expenditure remained below 20 per cent and that contractors were struggling to get paid. “We must stop people from stealing public money,” he said, adding that anyone found culpable under an NDC government would face the law.
On security, Obi promised a more direct response to attacks and kidnappings, saying the president should personally visit troubled communities. “If they say there is a problem in Jos, he will go to Jos,” he said. He pledged to visit Plateau, Benue, Zamfara, Sokoto and Borno, and criticised Tinubu’s foreign trips, arguing that the presidency should focus on domestic challenges.
He also promised an emergency in agriculture, particularly in the north, where insecurity has kept farmers off the land. Restoring security, he said, would let farmers return, raise food production, create jobs and ease pressure on prices.
Obi identified education and healthcare as urgent priorities. He expressed concern over the number of out-of-school children and renewed his pledge to establish a functional primary healthcare centre in every ward within two years. On power, he vowed to “declare emergency on generation, transmission, and distribution,” describing reliable electricity as essential to reviving businesses and industry. He cited Kano as an industrial centre whose capacity must be restored.
He said Nigeria must move from an economy driven by consumption and borrowing to one built on production, investment and jobs. He claimed that more than 40 million small businesses receive less than five per cent of bank lending, and promised that an NDC government would direct over 20 per cent of credit to them, alongside tax holidays and other incentives.
Obi urged political actors to stop intimidating NDC supporters and other Nigerians engaged in lawful political activity. Describing 2027 as a chance for voters to decide the country’s direction, he said, “The revolution that is coming is a revolution of the ballot,” and called for free, fair and credible elections.
Earlier, NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, said the inauguration marked an important stage in the party’s preparations. He told candidates to treat their nominations as a responsibility to the electorate and warned that the party would not tolerate those who fail to deliver. He added that the certificates of return carry security codes to guard against unauthorised claims to candidacy.
NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, described the party’s new national secretariat at 393 Etang Obuli Crescent, Jabi, Abuja, as its “Noah’s Ark,” a centre for unity and coordination ahead of the elections. Also at the event were Senator Victor Umeh, Rivers State governorship candidate Dumo Lulu-Briggs, and Adamawa State governorship candidate Senator Aisha Binani.