Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has pledged to unite Nigeria, tackle insecurity and lift millions out of poverty if elected in 2027. He spoke at a town hall in Jos, Plateau State, on Tuesday. “Our number one commitment is to unite the Federal Republic of Nigeria because today we have no unity,” he said.
The centrepiece of his speech was IDPs. “If any Nigerian remains in an Internally Displaced Persons camp, we have failed,” he said. “Once one Nigerian is in an IDP camp, the entire Nigeria is in an IDP camp”. He promised to return displaced people to their ancestral lands and to pursue kidnappers into the bush.
The historical echo is the 2019 campaign, when Obi promised restructuring and security. That campaign ended in a court challenge. The 2023 campaign promised to move Nigeria from consumption to production. That also ended in court. The promises are consistent. The question is whether the machinery exists to deliver them.
Obi also urged voters to protect their votes, saying every voter must be an agent on election day. That is a recognition that the electoral commission and the courts have not always protected the count. It is also a burden shift. A voter who must guard the ballot because the institution will not is a voter in a weak democracy.
The Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, urged politicians not to let politics worsen insecurity. That is the right warning. Plateau has seen repeated communal violence, and campaign rhetoric can inflame it. Obi’s message of unity is welcome. But a town hall is not a policy. The test is whether his party can translate the promise into a security plan that does not rely on the same failed centralised policing.
Winners: Obi and the NDC, who get a strong headline. Plateau voters, who got a hearing. Losers: The APC, which faces a challenger on its weakest ground. IDPs, who remain in camps while the promises are made.
Bottom Line: Obi has named the right problems. The campaign will decide whether he has a solution or just a speech.