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DESPITE the alleged antics of the APC not to have a strong opposition in the 2027 polls, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the NDC, has declared that a ‘New Nigeria’ is possible and that he is ready to put a stop to the ugly political syndrome in which “the worst of us are ruling the rest of us.”
By Goddy Ikeh
Some of the alleged actions of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to weaken and disorganise the opposition parties in the country ahead of the 2027 general elections include intimidating the governors in the opposition parties to join the APC, sponsoring some politicians in the opposition parties to initiate court cases that will destabilize the parties as well as assuring the governors that all their transgressions, including corrupt practices and political rascality will be forgiven.
Some Nigerians have gone a step further to say that the APC is planning to turn the country into a one-party state and that the judiciary has been compromised by the APC as part of their political strategies.
Reacting to these allegations, the former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, declared that the problems opposition parties are facing today are the handiwork of the APC.
According to him, the courts have also been used to fuel internal matters of political parties in spite of the ruling of the Supreme Court over non-interference with party matters by the courts.
“I still wonder why lower courts continue to give conflicting judgments on internal matters of political parties if there are no other forces behind it,” he said in a recent press interview.
George explained that in most cases “it is the party members that always take their matters to the court for hearing”.
Speaking on the crisis in the PDP, he assured that “the PDP will recover ahead of the 2027 elections.”
The views expressed by Olabode George are not different from the general views of millions of Nigerians, who have also warned that a one-party system is not ideal in a multi-ethnic and populous country like Nigeria.
Although the officials of the APC have tried to deny these accusations, but the opposition parties and many Nigerians have dismissed their defence, arguing that their actions speak louder than their voices and the trust deficit between Nigerians and the ruling party is at its lowest.
In addition, many Nigerians have also blamed the APC for the frequent registration and deregistration of the opposition parties by INEC, while some presidential aspirants have been compelled to change political parties. The former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, appears to be one of the affected presidential aspirants by this ugly political development in the country.
Obi had moved from the Labour Party, where he was the presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, to the ADC before moving to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 polls.
Unfortunately, the crisis has not abated in the new party, but Obi and his new party members are fighting back the attempts to delist the party by the INEC. Despite these distractions aimed at denying Obi from participating in the 2027 presidential polls, Obi has refused to bow down and bow out, rather he has been reeling out his strategies and programmes for the forthcoming polls and appealing to millions of Nigerians who desire a change from the ongoing experiments and poor governance of the APC.
For instance, Obi has recently declared that Hunger free Nigeria requires leaders who prioritise citizens welfare. Reacting to the alarm raised by the United Nations World Food Programme, WFP, that over 17 million Nigerians in the North are at risk of acute hunger, Obi warned that the growing hunger of Nigerian citizens will get worse unless the people enthrone leaders who have citizens’ welfare at heart.
Obi noted that Nigeria is a food basket and only an incompetent leadership can drag the country into such a horrible situation. “The recent report from the UN about the impending food crisis in northern Nigeria is disheartening, more so because it is avoidable. Northern Nigeria is the nation’s food basket, and nothing short of incompetent and irresponsible leadership could have created this tragedy,’’ Obi wrote on his X handle.
He urged our national leaders to reassess their priorities and address the dire circumstances facing our citizens.
Obi called on the Federal Government and state leaders to move beyond mere political discourse and make transparent, upfront investments to secure agricultural corridors, support smallholder farmers with accessible resources, and collaborate vigorously with organisations like the World Food Programme, WFP, to bridge funding gaps before this crisis escalates and claims more lives, especially those of children.
“A prosperous Nigeria, free from hunger, is achievable, but it requires leadership that prioritises the welfare of its citizens. I am deeply troubled by the latest report from the UN’s World Food Programme, indicating that northern Nigeria is experiencing its most severe hunger crisis in nearly a decade. Over 17 million people in nine northern states face crisis-level hunger, with more than 35 million Nigerians nationwide at risk during this challenging season.
“The fact that over 10,000 residents of Borno State have entered ‘catastrophic’ hunger conditions represents not only immense human suffering but also a profound national failure. Nigeria should not rank among the world’s hungriest nations, given its abundant resources, particularly the vast stretches of fertile, uncultivated land in the North.
“This food crisis stems from two critical structural failures: insecurity and farmers’ inability to access their lands. Banditry and insurgency have turned agrarian communities into displacement zones. Until we secure our agricultural areas, we cannot secure our future.
“Our global hunger ranking continues to worsen because of our proclivity for adopting superficial measures that do little to boost agricultural productivity or transform rural infrastructure. We need to adopt policies that address the structural barriers to agricultural productivity and transform our land resources into agro-industrial output. We can overcome hunger and poverty if we urgently shift our focus from consumption to production,” Obi said.
According to Obi, a new Nigeria, devoid of hunger and mass poverty, “a Nigeria where we transform our arable land into productive acreage – remains attainable, but it demands leadership that values the lives and livelihoods of the Nigerian people above grandiose road dualisation projects.”
“My presidency will unite Nigeria for robust human capital development,” Obi pledged, adding that “uniting Nigeria is his top priority for robust human capital development.”
Obi was declared the best governor in Nigeria during his tenure and from some of the programmes he has promised to execute if elected, there is no doubt that he is capable and ready to deliver ‘a new Nigeria’ for all irrespective of state, tribe and religion.
Can Nigerians join hands with Obi or any other promising candidate to rescue the nation from incompetent, corrupt and morally bankrupt individuals who hold positions of power over the honest, capable majority in this country. This will indeed solve the current challenges of deep frustration with systemic inequality, poor governance, brain drain and the broken leadership system.
F.O
Tags: New Nigeria Opposition politics Peter Obi Ruling party Tinubu government