Peter Obi, 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has declared that no other 2027 presidential contender can offer the North what he plans to deliver.
He said the region holds Nigeria’s greatest economic potential and that he intends to transform it through agriculture, security and grassroots investment.
The former Anambra governor spoke on Arise TV on Monday, pitching himself to northern voters and pushing back against the view that his presidential prospects in the region depend on endorsements from a handful of political heavyweights.
Obi said the North, far from being a burden on the national economy, was an underutilised asset that a committed government could develop into a bigger revenue source than oil.
“Nobody can do what I intend to do in the North. We will change the North. Our greatest asset as a country is in the North. We can make more money from agriculture than we make from oil,” he said.
He went further, arguing that winning the North was not about securing the backing of prominent figures but about directly addressing the poverty, insecurity and poor access to education and healthcare that have held the region back.
“If we want to secure the North, we must invest in agriculture, reduce poverty, and improve education and healthcare,” Obi said.
Asked specifically whether he would need the support of politicians such as Nasir El-Rufai and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to make inroads in the region, he said he welcomed collaboration but rejected the idea that a few individuals could determine the outcome.
“I will work with them so they can support the process, but Nigeria is bigger than individuals,” he said.
Obi also argued that the country’s deeper problem was not a lack of resources but a failure of leadership to rise above ethnic and religious divisions.
“We need leaders who will unite us as a country. Religion and tribe should not define our future,” he said.
He added that the development of any kind remained impossible without first restoring security, particularly across the North.
“You cannot achieve development without first ensuring security,” Obi said.
He said he had drawn lessons from development models in other countries that he believed could be adapted for Nigeria.
“I have visited several countries and seen what works. We can replicate those successes here,” he said.
Obi also called on the government to stop treating the opposition as a threat and instead create conditions for it to function effectively, saying a strong opposition was essential for accountability.
“The government should protect the opposition. In fact, they should make opposition stronger and make it work,” he said.
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