Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has vowed to wage an uncompromising war against corruption, promising greater accountability in the management of public funds if elected president in 2027.
Obi spoke in Abuja during the inauguration of the party’s National Presidential Campaign Council, as the NDC stepped up preparations for the next general elections.
Peter Obi says his administration, if elected, will prioritise the transparent use of public resources and ensure that anyone found culpable of corruption is held accountable in accordance with the law.
The NDC presidential candidate challenged the Federal Government to account for the implementation of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets, alleging that capital expenditure remained below 20% and that some contractors were experiencing payment difficulties.
The party’s National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, described the inauguration of the Presidential Campaign Council as a significant milestone in the NDC’s preparations for the 2027 general election.
The event also featured the presentation of certificates of return to candidates contesting on the party’s platform and the unveiling of the NDC’s national secretariat in Jabi, Abuja.
Below is full text of Peter Obi’s address:
A NEW AND PRODUCTIVE NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE, AND NIGERIA WILL BE OK
Yesterday, 26th of October, our Party, the NDC Campaign council was inaugurated in Abuja.
As part of my remarks, I told Nigerians how our richly endowed nation, the giant of Africa, is now the world’s poverty capital. Regrettably, over 140 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor, representing more than 60% of the population.
Corruption remains widespread, while insecurity affects every part of our country. Unemployment and inequality are at record levels, and Nigerians face severe and avoidable hardship.
Even with the removal of the fuel subsidy and reckless borrowing, with a debt of over ₦165 trillion, there has been little or no corresponding increase in productivity.
In the last three years, President Tinubu has foisted on Nigeria a reign of corruption and duplicity, resulting in extreme poverty.
Today, President Tinubu has made history as the leader who has created the largest number of poor people in the world. This year, he has made about 16 million Nigerians extremely poor.
Just last Saturday, President Tinubu, while launching his re-election campaign in Kaduna, blamed past and opposition leaders for the hunger and poverty that have ravaged Nigerians.
What is clear is that President Tinubu does not have the competence, the capacity, the character, compassion or the commitment to solve the problems he created.
He lacks the energy and the resolve to get Nigeria out of the current worsening crisis.
Under President Tinubu, despite his promise to fix electricity, Nigeria now has the lowest consumption of electricity.
Without reliable power, businesses cannot expand efficiently, hospitals cannot provide dependable services, schools struggle to operate effectively, and households face additional financial burdens.
We will pursue an electricity reform programme focused on reliability, affordability, investment, and accountability.
We will work with relevant federal and state institutions, regulators, operators, and investors to address the weaknesses affecting generation, transmission, and distribution.
Under President Tinubu, Nigeria is more divided than ever, more terrorised than ever and more insecure than ever.
Under President Tinubu, Nigeria has fallen into a crisis of values, such that our budgets are no longer credible and our laws are forged. Nothing is sacred.
Nothing is spared from degradation, not budgets, not laws, not institutions.
From our engagements with Nigerians across the country and all segments of society, the message is clear: Nigerians want and deserve a better, more productive nation, one in which good governance is visible, firmly established, effectively practised and embraced as part of our national culture.
I, Peter Obi, with my very dear elder brother, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, implore and beckon all of you, committed members of our great party, the NDC, and all Nigerians, to join us in this crusade of rebuilding our dear and most endowed nation, Nigeria.
Today, we begin a renewed journey towards a New Nigeria, united by shared purpose, founded on fairness, justice and equity, and committed to productivity, inclusion and development.
We envision a nation where government prioritises the security and welfare of its people, good governance prevails, and public officials remain accountable.
It will be a law-abiding society of healthy, skilled and educated citizens, where every child attends school and learns to read and write.
No Nigerian should live in a displaced-persons camp, and corruption must no longer weaken our institutions or the fabric of our nation.
A New Nigeria is our vision. A New Nigeria is our mission.
Corruption today has become more pervasive under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s APC-led government. No state institution has been spared, and since 2023, its effects have spread throughout national life.
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(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
