Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
THE presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has urged President Bola Tinubu to abandon his re-election ambition and retire from politics, arguing that Nigeria needs energetic leadership capable of tackling the country’s mounting economic and security challenges.
Obi said the country could no longer afford leadership that, in his assessment, lacked the energy and capacity required to address its numerous problems, urging President Tinubu to return home and rest.
He spoke on Friday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, during the commissioning of the NDC campaign office and secretariat, where he criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government over rising poverty, hunger, unemployment, insecurity, poor healthcare delivery and inadequate electricity supply.
Describing the country’s socio-economic situation as troubling, Obi said millions of Nigerians were struggling to meet their basic needs, while access to essential services, including healthcare, education and employment, remained a major challenge.
“Today, we have a country that produces the highest number of poor people in the world. Today, we have a country where our people are hungry. Nigerians don’t know where the next meal will come from,” he said.
He lamented that some Nigerians had resorted to seeking spiritual intervention rather than medical treatment because of inadequate healthcare facilities, adding that the shortage of quality schools and employment opportunities had further compounded the country’s difficulties.
Obi said the NDC was offering Nigerians an alternative political direction anchored on national unity, security, production, accountability and economic opportunities.
“We are telling you that NDC is coming to build a new Nigeria that is possible. We want to move Nigeria from consumption to production. We will start by uniting the country,” the former Anambra State governor said.
He pledged that an NDC administration would prioritise security, strengthen public institutions and ensure that Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic or geographical backgrounds, enjoyed a sense of belonging.
He particularly condemned persistent cases of kidnapping and attacks on communities, promising a more decisive approach to tackling insecurity if elected.
On education, Obi promised to make public education accessible, saying his administration would collaborate with state governments to provide adequate classrooms and ensure free basic education at the primary and secondary school levels.
Addressing the country’s electricity challenges, he pledged that an NDC government would generate, transmit and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts of electricity, compared with what he described as the approximately 4,000 megawatts currently being generated.
He also promised to support industries and small businesses to create employment opportunities for young Nigerians, while proposing the development of seaports across the South-South region.
According to him, the proposed ports would serve areas including Warri, Port Harcourt, Bayelsa and Calabar, while improved road infrastructure would connect the states and stimulate economic activities across the region.
Obi also criticised the Federal Government’s borrowing, challenging President Tinubu to explain how loans obtained by his administration had been utilised and the benefits Nigerians had derived from them.
He questioned what he described as the President’s reluctance to visit Bayelsa for political engagement, despite the state’s significant contribution to Nigeria’s oil revenue. He said it was unfair for the President to benefit from resources generated from the Niger Delta without adequately engaging with the people and addressing their development concerns.
The NDC candidate further criticised President Tinubu’s foreign travels, promising that his own international engagements, if elected, would be guided strictly by Nigeria’s national interest, with Nigerians kept informed of his whereabouts.
Making a direct appeal for a change of leadership, Obi said: “The man is tired. He needs to go home. Tinubu must go and rest. We want him to go and rest.”
He maintained that Nigeria needed an accessible and accountable government that prioritised the welfare of citizens rather than alleged family interests.
Earlier, the founder of the NDC and Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Henry Seriake Dickson, urged Bayelsans to give Obi and other candidates of the party overwhelming electoral support.
Dickson, who is also seeking re-election to the Senate, made the appeal during the homecoming ceremony organised for Obi and the commissioning of the party’s secretariat in Yenagoa.
The former Bayelsa governor accused the APC of failing to fulfil its promises to Nigerians, while criticising what he described as the poor political treatment of some individuals who had served in government.
He urged party members and supporters to intensify mobilisation across communities in the state to secure support for the NDC candidates.
Dickson, however, cautioned supporters against intimidation and electoral violence, urging them to remain peaceful but resolute in defending their voting rights. He insisted that elections should be won through the ballot rather than the deployment of security personnel to intimidate voters.
“We don’t do politics with violence. No weapon, no bullet. Overwhelm them with the sheer force in your community. Vote and you declare and you follow up,” he told supporters.
Dickson disclosed that he had known and worked with Obi for about 25 years, describing their political relationship as one built on longstanding cooperation.
He urged Bayelsans to listen to Obi and support the NDC’s campaign, promising to participate actively in the party’s mobilisation efforts across communities in the state.
