The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pledged to visit all 36 states of Nigeria every year and hold regular town hall meetings with citizens if elected president in 2027.
Obi made the pledge during a TikTok livestream on Sunday.
He said his proposed approach to governance would promote national unity, balanced regional development and direct engagement with Nigerians.
The former governor of Anambra State said he wanted every region to experience development and feel included in the country’s governance, regardless of ethnic or regional differences.
“I want to see a thriving South-West, South-South, South-East, North-East, North-West, North-Central, everyone in Nigeria,” he said.
Obi argued that attempts to divide Nigerians along ethnic and regional lines would undermine the country’s progress. He stressed the need for a government that gives attention to all parts of the country.
“That’s why I said that I will be president of Nigeria. I will ensure that I visit every state annually,” he said.
He also pledged to spend his holidays in different states across the six geopolitical zones, saying he would make himself accessible to Nigerians if elected.
Obi said he planned to organise monthly or bi-monthly town hall meetings to explain government policies, decisions and projects to citizens.
“I will be available to them as their president. I will explain to them, because I’m sure I’ll be able to do monthly, bi-monthly town hall meetings to explain what we are doing, to explain why we must do A or B, as I did while I was governor,” he said.
The former governor cited his experience in Anambra State as the basis for his proposed approach to public engagement, saying citizens should have opportunities to understand government decisions and express their concerns.
Obi also said he did not want Nigerians to support his presidential ambition because he is Igbo or because they believe it is his ethnic group’s turn to produce the president.
He urged voters to assess candidates based on their competence, capacity, compassion, commitment and character rather than ethnic affiliation or regional sentiments.
“Not based on our tribe, where we will say the truth, where people can look at me and say you are not qualified to be our president because you do not possess the qualification required of that office,” he said.
Obi said he wanted a political environment in which Nigerians could freely scrutinise candidates and reject those they considered unqualified for public office.
“I don’t want people to follow me, vote for me because it’s my turn because I’m an Igbo man. I don’t, I’m not looking for sympathy. I want a fair competition based on competence, yes, based on capacity, based on compassion, based on commitment,” he added.
In a separate development, the Enugu State Government has accused NDC leaders of attempting to gain political advantage by observing a minute’s silence for a person it claimed was still alive.
The Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, stated this during a press conference at Government House, Enugu, on Sunday night.
Onyia said the administration of Governor Peter Mbah would not compromise the peace and security it had maintained in the state over the past three years.
“We, however, make bold to say that the peace and security we have achieved in Enugu State in the last three years, and at huge material costs and sacrifices by our security agents, are non-negotiable and irreversible,” he said.
The SSG maintained that the government remained committed to protecting residents’ democratic rights, including their freedom to support candidates and participate in the 2027 elections.
He also expressed confidence that Mbah would secure a second term, arguing that the administration’s record and fulfilment of campaign promises would determine its chances at the polls.
Onyia said the government had no reason to resort to desperate political tactics, insisting that its performance would be presented to voters for consideration.
The government also addressed Saturday’s confrontation involving NDC members at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, and a separate shooting incident at the party’s state secretariat in the GRA area of the state capital.
Onyia denied allegations that the state government or the governor’s Chief Security Officer, Ifeanyi Osondu, was involved in either incident.
According to him, the airport confrontation followed the party’s attempt to organise a campaign event at the facility without obtaining approval from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
He said the NDC had publicised a planned event tagged “Grand Statewide Campaign Flag-off 2026” and invited members and supporters to attend.
The SSG explained that the police had advised the organisers to secure FAAN’s authorisation before security personnel could be deployed for the proposed gathering.
“Further findings, however, revealed that the NDC did not secure the approval of FAAN to host a grand statewide rally at its facility. Security agencies, therefore, advised the organisers of the rally to rethink it,” Onyia said.
