The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has ratified Peter
Obi, former governor of Anambra state, as its presidential candidate for the
2027 elections.
The party took the decision at its national convention held
in Abuja on Saturday.
At the event, Victor Umeh, the senator representing Anambra
central, moved the motion for Obi’s ratification, while Ovie Omo-Agege, former
deputy senate president, seconded it, drawing loud cheers from the jubilant
crowd.
Obi picked NDC presidential nomination and expression of
interest forms on May 17.
Three days later, he was cleared by the NDC national
screening committee as the party’s sole presidential aspirant ahead the
primaries.
Speaking after receiving the party’s ticket, Obi annouced
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano, as his running mate.
He also said his government would tackle Nigeria’s
prevailing security, education and economic problems headlong.
The former Anambra governor said Nigeria has enough land
resources to become a major rice-producing nation, lamenting that the country
produces less than 10 percent of the rice output of countries such as India,
Bangladesh and Vietnam despite having more land per capita.
Obi said his administration would shift the country from
consumption to production, adding that Nigeria should be exporting rice rather
than relying on imports.
“We should be exporting rice. I maintain that we can make
more money from the vast land in the North than we make from oil,” he said.
On electricity, Obi described Nigeria’s power situation as
unacceptable, noting that about 100 million Nigerians lack access to
electricity while the country generates and distributes only about 4,000
megawatts.
He compared Nigeria’s output with those of South Africa and
Egypt, saying both countries generate more than 40,000 megawatts despite having
significantly smaller populations.
Obi pledged that his government would raise power generation
and distribution to at least 10,000 megawatts within four years.
“And I pledge on behalf of our government that in four
years, this country will generate and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts from
the 4,000 that we have today,” he said.
The NDC presidential candidate also dismissed Nigeria’s
official unemployment figure of four percent, insisting that unemployment and
underemployment remain above 30 percent while youth unemployment exceeds 40
percent.
According to him, his administration would aggressively
tackle joblessness by supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)
through tax incentives, policy support and access to affordable credit.
Obi cited Indonesia as an example, saying small businesses
account for over 90 percent of employment in the Asian country because
entrepreneurs can access loans at competitive interest rates.
He said his government would work towards creating a similar
environment in Nigeria to enable businesses to thrive and create jobs.
Obi also promised a drastic reduction in corruption and the
cost of governance, arguing that public resources currently wasted on luxuries
should be redirected to critical sectors of the economy.
“We will drastically reduce the cost of governance and
corruption. This waste must stop,” he said.
The former governor further pledged to run a transparent
administration, insisting that corruption would reduce significantly if public
officials and their families refrained from abusing public resources.
Obi is expected to run on a joint ticket with Rabiu Musa
Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano, who joined the party along with him on May
2 after quitting the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
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