Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pledged to declare a state of emergency on hunger, insecurity, education, corruption, healthcare and electricity if elected president in 2027, warning that anyone found stealing public funds would face prosecution and imprisonment.

Obi made the pledge on Thursday during a town hall meeting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, where he outlined his priorities for the country and called for national unity ahead of the 2027 general election.

He said his administration would prioritise bringing Nigerians together, irrespective of their ethnic, religious or regional backgrounds, insisting that national identity must take precedence over sectional interests.

According to him, federal character would guide appointments into public offices to ensure fairness and equal opportunities for Nigerians.

“The most important thing we will do is unite this country. I don’t want people going around saying I am Igbo, I am Yoruba, I am Hausa. We must unite this country. Our pride should not be based on where we come from. We will operate federal character in all the jobs we have. So, we must unite the country,” he said.

On security, the former Anambra State governor promised decisive action against insecurity, particularly attacks on schools and the abduction of schoolchildren.

“We will declare emergency in the security of lives and property in Nigeria. We will deal with insecurity decisively. Nobody will be in charge; we will be in charge.

“Let me assure you today, if I am President of this country, children come to school and somebody takes them into the bush, we will be in the bush with such person. They will not be there alone; we will be there with those kids.

“We will defend the country because we are going to equip the security agencies to make sure that our country is safe,” he said.

On corruption, Obi vowed to intensify the fight against the diversion of public resources, stressing that government funds must serve the interests of citizens.

“We will declare emergency in corruption. I will fight corruption like nobody has fought it before. Public money must be used for public good. Nobody will steal our money again. If you do it, you will go to jail, starting from the President,” he said.

He also identified education as a priority, citing the country’s out-of-school children challenge and promising to reduce the number of children denied access to education.
“We will declare emergency in education. We have over 18 million children out of school; we must reduce it,” he said.

On food security, Obi promised to support farmers and encourage agricultural production, arguing that Nigeria had sufficient arable land to feed its population and generate export earnings.

“We will declare emergency on hunger. We have vast lands. Our farmers must go back to the farm, be able to cultivate, give us what we eat and be able to export. We will do that,” he added.

In the health sector, he promised functional healthcare facilities across the country’s political wards, arguing that Nigeria had the resources to provide basic healthcare services closer to the people.

“We will declare emergency in health. We must have functional healthcare in all the political wards of Nigeria. Every ward must have it. We have the resources to do it,” he said.

Obi also criticised President Bola Tinubu‘s leadership, questioning his capacity to govern the country and accusing him of spending too much time outside Nigeria while failing to account adequately for his administration’s performance.

He challenged Tinubu to visit Abakaliki and explain what his government had achieved in the past three years, particularly how funds borrowed by the administration had been utilised.

“I want President Tinubu to come to Abakaliki to tell the people what he has done in the past three years. I want him to come to Abakaliki to tell you what he used the money he has been borrowing to do for the past three years,” Obi said.

He further alleged that Tinubu had spent more than 260 days outside the country but was unwilling to devote 36 days to touring the federation to campaign ahead of the next general election.

Obi argued that the president should demonstrate his commitment to governance and accountability rather than avoid engagements with Nigerians.

“President Tinubu has stayed over 260 days out of Nigeria, yet he cannot spend up to 36 days to go round Nigeria to tell the people what he has been doing for the past three years. We will not do that.

“President Tinubu does not have the competence to run Nigeria. He does not have the energy to run Nigeria. He should pack his things, go home and rest,” he said.

The NDC presidential candidate also cautioned against attempts to divide the South-East along political or ethnic lines, insisting that his presidential ambition was based on his qualifications and not his regional identity.

He urged voters in Ebonyi State and other parts of the country to assess candidates on their credentials and capacity to lead rather than their ethnic backgrounds.

“Let nobody divide the South-East. I don’t want the people of Ebonyi to vote for me because I am from the South-East. I don’t want you to vote for me because I am an Igbo person.

“My dear people, I want you to vote for me because I am qualified to be the President of this country. I want you to vote for me because I am the leading candidate,” he said.