Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi on Saturday formally accepted his nomination.
This was as he unveiled an ambitious reform agenda aimed at confronting Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, economic stagnation and infrastructure deficit, including a pledge to raise electricity generation to 10,000 megawatts within four years.
Obi made the pledge in his acceptance speech delivered in Abuja after emerging as the party’s flag bearer, where he expressed gratitude to party leaders and delegates for what he described as their confidence in his leadership capacity.
“It is with deep humility that I accept the role of presidential candidate for our party. I express my profound gratitude to the leaders of our party, His Excellency Seriake Dickson, the National Chairman, National Secretary and the National Working Committee members of our relentless supporters, and the Nigerian populace who have steadfastly kept the spirit of hope alive,” he said.
He said Nigeria was currently at a difficult crossroads marked by insecurity, economic hardship and declining public confidence in governance.
According to him, the situation had created widespread disillusionment across communities and businesses, though he insisted that the country still had the capacity for recovery if leadership choices improved.
“Businesses are struggling, communities are suffering, and an alarming number of citizens have lost faith in the very concept of governance.
“Yet, I stand before you filled with optimism and strong faith in the resilience of our people, for I firmly believe that a New Nigeria is possible,” he said.
Obi stressed that Nigeria’s diversity should be seen as a strength rather than a fault line, warning against deepening ethnic, religious and regional divisions.
Turning to insecurity, the NDC presidential candidate said Nigeria’s security challenges had deteriorated significantly in recent years, citing global rankings that placed the country among the worst affected by terrorism.
He said, “In terms of security, the situation in Nigeria has considerably worsened. The global terrorism impact assessments ranked Nigeria as the 8th most affected nation in 2022, 6th in 2024, and 4th in 2026.”
However, he contrasted the current situation with Nigeria’s historical role in international peacekeeping missions, where its military once enjoyed global respect.
The former governor referenced Nigeria’s contributions to global missions across several countries and praised the legacy of Nigerian military leadership in international operations.
Obi vowed that his administration would prioritise security reforms.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
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