Musa Na Allah, Sokoto
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, has called on Nigerians to take greater ownership of the country’s political process and insist on leadership that places education, security, human development and national unity at the centre of governance.
Obi made the call in Sokoto on Monday during a town hall meeting with NDC delegates and stakeholders held at Sokoto Guest Inn as the party intensified mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He was accompanied by his running mate, former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and other party stalwarts.
The NDC presidential candidate said the challenges confronting Nigeria could not be addressed through political rhetoric alone, stressing the need for a leadership framework capable of translating the country’s resources into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.
He identified education as a critical foundation for national development, arguing that sustained investment in human capital would provide young Nigerians with the knowledge, skills and opportunities required to compete in an increasingly competitive global economy.
Obi also placed national security among the priorities of his proposed administration, noting that no meaningful development could take place where citizens remained vulnerable to kidnapping, banditry, displacement and other forms of insecurity.
He said insecurity had particularly affected rural communities, agriculture, education and local economies, making the restoration of peace and the protection of lives and property essential to rebuilding public confidence and stimulating development.
According to him, Nigeria also requires deliberate policies capable of creating employment, reducing poverty, expanding access to healthcare and empowering young people and women to become productive participants in the national economy.
He further stressed the importance of peaceful coexistence and national unity, maintaining that Nigeria’s diversity should be transformed into an asset for development rather than a source of division.
Obi said his political message was not built around promises that could not be fulfilled, but on what he described as practical, measurable and demand-driven governance that responds directly to the needs of Nigerians.
Recent reports have similarly quoted him urging politicians to avoid unrealistic campaign promises and focus on the country’s concrete challenges.
He also advocated improved transportation and economic connectivity, including stronger rail links between state capitals, as part of efforts to facilitate commerce, movement of people and national integration.
Kwankwaso, speaking at the event, drew attention to the security challenges confronting communities in Sokoto and other parts of northern Nigeria, particularly killings, kidnappings and displacement in rural areas.
He said his visit to the Sultan’s Palace alongside Obi was also intended to seek blessings and strengthen engagement with traditional institutions as the party takes its message to communities across the country.
Earlier, the Sokoto State NDC Chairman, Alhaji Bello Sani Yabo, pledged that the party would intensify mobilisation across the state’s 23 local government areas, declaring that the organisation was prepared to take its campaign to wards and communities.
The NDC governorship candidate in Sokoto State, Dr Shamsudeen Haido, also urged supporters to mobilise voters for the party’s candidates, stressing the importance of grassroots participation in the 2027 electoral process.
The Sokoto engagement forms part of the wider nationwide mobilisation of the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket ahead of the 2027 elections. The ticket has continued to engage party structures and supporters across different parts of the country.
The campaign, however, comes amid broader political activity within the NDC and among support groups associated with the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, including recent public discussions over the relationship between the party’s formal structures and support organisations.
For Sokoto, the message delivered at the town hall placed education, security, economic opportunity and unity at the centre of the political debate, while challenging voters and political stakeholders to make the 2027 election a platform for discussing the country’s development priorities.
