A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Ibrahim Abdulkarim, has said the major difference between the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his leading political rivals, President Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, is their respective motivations for seeking the presidency.
Abdulkarim, who made the assertion during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, said while Tinubu and Atiku were pursuing political power, Obi was offering himself for public service and to drive the changes many young Nigerians desire.
According to him, Obi’s candidacy represents an opportunity for Nigerians, particularly the youth, to take ownership of the country’s future by supporting a leader they believe has the courage to implement long-discussed solutions to the nation’s problems.
“What is different between the three of them? Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, they’re looking for power. Mr. Peter Obi is looking for service,” Abdulkarim said.
“He wants to come and offer himself to change what we feel the young people we cannot do for ourselves. That’s the bottom line. That’s what change.”
The NDC chieftain argued that many political leaders and influential Nigerians understand the country’s challenges and, in some cases, know possible solutions, but lack the willingness or courage to implement them.
He said Obi had distinguished himself by demonstrating what he described as the courage to confront the country’s problems, adding that young Nigerians were prepared to support him as a means of pursuing the Nigeria they desire.
Abdulkarim said the support for Obi should therefore not be viewed merely as backing for an individual politician but as an attempt by citizens to take responsibility for shaping the country’s future.
The comments come as political parties and their candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with opposition forces seeking to build stronger structures and mobilise voters across the country.
In a related development, Obi held a strategic meeting with his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and other NDC candidates as part of efforts to strengthen the party’s structures ahead of the 2027 elections.
The meeting, held on Monday at the Obidient Headquarters in Abuja, brought together gubernatorial and senatorial candidates as well as other aspirants from different parts of the country.
Obi, in a post on his X account on Tuesday, said the discussions focused on expanding the party’s reach and taking its political message beyond urban centres to rural communities and the hinterlands.
He said the meeting also provided an opportunity to reassure the party’s candidates of his continued support while reaffirming his commitment to working with them to secure electoral victories across states and constituencies
Describing Kwankwaso as his “dear elder brother,” Obi said their joint ticket was intended to offer Nigerians an alternative to what he described as ineffective leadership.
He outlined the NDC’s priorities as lifting vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty, reducing the population of out-of-school children, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, improving national security, promoting national unity and transforming Nigeria from a consumption-driven economy into a production-based one.
“Our discussions focused primarily on strategies to expand and deepen the reach of our party and take our message of national redemption to rural communities and the hinterlands,” Obi said.
“I reassured our candidates of my continued support in their respective states and constituencies. I also reaffirmed my commitment to working with them and undertaking the necessary groundwork to secure victory for our party.”
