Four Years Enough To Tackle Nigeria’s Challenges – Obi

By JAMES KWEN and SAMSON ELIJAH, Abuja

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has insisted that he would not spend more than four years if elected President in the 2027 general election.

According to him, four years are enough to address the country’s critical issues.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra, dismissed claims that he is promising a single-term presidency to get to power.

In an exclusive interview with Channel Television’s Sunday Politics, he said there was an agreement between him and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, to run for four years.

Obi said, “Gentlemen, we must respect the deal and I insist that I don’t need more than four years to show the path Nigeria will take. It’s a simple thing.”

“And I say it again: I will serve for four years  full stop. If you want me, it’s four years, full stop  not a day more,” he said.

Obi also took President Bola Tinubu to task over the failure of his Renewed Hope Agenda, describing it as “renewed hopelessness”.

He further accused the President of failing to communicate directly with Nigerians amid worsening economic hardship.

Obi said the government had failed to inspire confidence or improve the lives of ordinary citizens.

Asked if his vision of rebuilding the economy through production resembled the administration’s Agenda, Obi rejected the comparison.

“No, no — “hat’s renthat’sopelessness. It’s not wrong,” he said, insisting Nigerians needed “real hope” built on “visible progress rather than political messaging.

“The kind of hope I’ll bring, I’ll real hope — tangible hope that people will see and feel,” he said.

Obi stated that the government had failed to communicate effectively with citizens, saying President Tinubu had withdrawn from direct engagement with the public.

“It’s not ‘audio hop’ because he, the man we voted for, isn’t even anything to us anymore,” he said.

“The person” we voted for is Bola Tinubu. He’s no longer talking to us; he’s gone, he’s Aso Rock and turned it into a bunker.”

Obi stated that elected leaders should personally explain government decisions and remain accountable to the people.

“A leader’s role is to speak directly to the people..I will speak to the people myself. I’ll tell I’ll: I said I would do this; this is where things stand — that’s comthat’st,” he said.

Obi also called on President Tinubu to step aside ahead of the 2027 election, saying the President is “tired” and” no longer has the capacity to tackle Nigeria’s mounting economic and security challenges.

He maintained that while Tinubu may have performed well as governor of Lagos State, his current leadership had failed to address the country’s worsening crises.

“The Bola Tinubu who was governor is not the one who is President today. He’s tired. He should be allowed to retire in peace and then go home,” Obi said.

The former Anambra State governor said Nigeria was “headed in the wrong direction” and required a leader with the energy and commitment to reverse the country’s fortunes.

“As it is right now, Bola Tinubu is leading us nowhere. We will turn it so he can see it. That’s why I might be calling for his retirement. The man should step aside. Yes, he doesn’t have the capacity to do the job.”

He said successive reports from international organisations showed the scale of Nigeria’s challenges but accused political actors of focusing on personalities rather than addressing issues affecting ordinary citizens.

“The World Bank has just said that 79% of Nigerians are going to face poverty. In a country of 230 million people, that’s over 180 million. That should be the issue we should be discussing.

“They should be talking about the issue of out-of-school children, talking about the issue of health, and all these monies that are missing here and there that would have been invested properly. Nobody is discussing it,” he stated.

The NDC presidential candidate also referenced food insecurity, saying millions of Nigerians faced hunger.

“This election in 2027 should be about issues that affect the ordinary Nigerians… The World Food Programme has just said 35 million Nigerians are going to face hunger. Nigerians are being kidnapped. Let’s talk about Nigeria,” he said.

Responding to comments by former US President Donald Trump commending Tinubu’s efforts against insecurity, Obi acknowledged the praise but maintained that the government’s response remained inadequate.

“Thank you to Donald Trump. Thank you to President Trump. But we need to do more, far more than what we are doing,” he said.

“I’ve heard people, and Donald Trump is now confirming it, say he has done his best. But with the crisis we are facing, his best is not enough. We need to do more.”

Obi cited recent abductions in Zamfara State as evidence that insecurity remained a major national emergency.

“On Wednesday, 40 people were abducted in Zamfara, and the entire community, everybody is packing to run away. On Thursday, 50 were abducted. So we’re in a crisis that requires another capacity,” he noted

The former Anambra governor argued that tackling insecurity required addressing its underlying economic causes, particularly widespread poverty and poor access to education.

“You can’t create mass poverty and think you can deal with insecurity,” he said. “The more you put people out of poverty, the more you reduce criminality. You need to invest in education, massively,” he said.

Obi said he would adopt a more hands-on leadership approach if elected President, insisting he would personally oversee security responses nationwide.

“Whatever it takes to secure any Nigerian, I will do that. If your people are dying, you should be ready to die. You’re the President. You’re the number one person,” he said.

Obi insisted he was driven not by personal ambition but by a desire to see the country succeed.

“I’m not desperate to be Nigerian President. I’m desperate to see Nigeria work,” he said.

Obi stated that he would support anyone capable of delivering good governance.

“If it’s working, I’ll support whatever makes it work. Every year, we’re headed south, where more and more people have been impoverished, and more and more children are out of school. Things are going in the wrong direction,” he noted

The presidential candidate of the NDC also dismissed claims that he would divide Nigeria if elected President, insisting instead that he has the experience and leadership to unite the country.

Obi responded to comments by former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, who had questioned his ability to unify the country.

Rejecting the criticism, Obi said his record demonstrated a long-standing commitment to national unity.

“I will unite Nigeria, and I know what it takes to unite Nigeria,” the former Labour Party presidential candidate said.

The former Anambra State governor argued that his actions over the years, rather than political rhetoric, reflected his commitment to every part of the country.

Obi cited numerous humanitarian visits and interventions across northern Nigeria, saying he had consistently supported communities affected by conflict and natural disasters.

He recalled travelling to Borno State to condole with Sheriff after the killing of the former governor’s brother during the early days of the Boko Haram insurgency.

“At the onset of this Boko Haram issue… his own brother was killed. I travelled to Borno State to console him. When people didn’t want to go there, I went to Borno state,” he said.

Obi also said he visited the state after devastating floods, donated N50 million, met with the governor and the Shehu of Borno, and visited internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.

According to him, similar interventions had taken him to several northern states, including Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi and Sokoto.

“I’ve been to the most troubled parts of the North… I’ve been to Benue up to four times, visiting the various affected communities… I’ve spent Christmas and New Year in IDP camps,” he said.

Obi said he had funded boreholes in several northern communities and supported educational and health institutions, including agricultural projects at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto.

“I’ve built boreholes in Gombe, in Kaduna, in every part of the North. When the University of Sokoto Agricultural Faculty said all they needed was a borehole for their farm, I did it,” he said.

Obi added that he had also visited schools, hospitals and communities across the South-West and North-Central regions, insisting that no contemporary Nigerian politician had travelled as extensively across the country by road.

“There’s no politician today in Nigeria… that has been able to travel places that I have been by road… because I want the country to be together, and I understand the people.”

On whether Nigeria had moved beyond divisions rooted in the Civil War, Obi said his presidency would mark the beginning of national healing.

“A Peter Obi presidency will commence the healing and the unity that is required to stabilise and build a better Nigeria,” he stated.

Obi argued that while Nigeria should acknowledge its history, it must not allow the past to determine its future.

“You cannot be trapped in the process of yesterday. Those who are trapped in yesterday’s process will lose the future. We have a history, but we must not be trapped in it. It must not deprive us of tomorrow,” he said.

Obi said his goal is to build a country where every Nigerian can thrive regardless of ethnicity or religion.

“I want the child of Nigeria to be able to grow up in Nigeria, go to school, and live his life without thinking about his tribe, without thinking about yesterday, without thinking about his religion, but as a Nigerian, proud of it.”

On allegations that he had made divisive remarks about northern Nigerians, Obi described the claims as false, saying, “That’s a lie. It never happened.”

He said his closest aides and associates over the years had included several northerners and Muslims, stressing that “my ADC was from Kano, and he’s a Muslim.”

Obi also said all cooks who served him during his eight years as governor of Anambra State were from northern Nigeria, while he sponsored Muslims from the state on an annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

“As governor, I was paying for Muslims living in Anambra to go to Hajj,” he said.

He further revealed that he currently supports Almajiri schools in Kano and Bauchi, as well as a School of Nursing in Bauchi.

The former governor said political debates should centre on the country’s pressing challenges rather than personal attacks.

“Instead of us discussing the problems of the country, people come before you to discuss Peter Obi.”

He argued that poverty, insecurity, education and healthcare should dominate national conversations.

Obi maintained that his vision was to build an inclusive nation where every citizen feels a sense of belonging.

“I will never divide Nigeria. I will unite Nigeria. I will show love to every part of Nigeria and make sure things are done differently, because I’m going to involve everybody,” he added.