Mr. Peter Obi
Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned Nigeria’s political class for focusing on the 2027 general elections while the country faces a deepening security and humanitarian crisis.
In a post on X on Sunday, Obi said it was “profoundly disturbing” that politicians are preoccupied with electoral strategies while hundreds of Nigerians are being killed and thousands abducted.
“While we, the politicians, continue to obsess over the 2027 elections, spending our energy scheming about how to capture, grab, and run the next election, the first two months of 2026 have reportedly seen the killing of over 1,000 Nigerians and the abduction of several thousand others,” he said.
Obi highlighted widespread violence across more than 25 states, including Zamfara, Kwara, Ondo, Kebbi, Edo, Benue, Adamawa, and Plateau.
“From Zamfara State to Kwara, Ondo, Kebbi, Edo, Benue, Adamawa, Plateau, and many other states, families have buried loved ones, and communities have been emptied by gunshots and fear,” he said.
“In over 25 states across all geopolitical zones this year alone, there have been major violent attacks on innocent citizens, kidnappings by armed bandits, mass shootings, village invasions, and brazen assaults on worshippers and travellers.”
He warned that the scale of bloodshed rivals situations in countries officially at war.
“The scale of bloodshed and the number of deaths in just two months in Nigeria are even worse than what we see in countries officially at war.
“Yet the urgency with which we discuss these tragedies does not match the urgency of our discussions surrounding zoning formulas, party structures, and campaign strategies,” Obi said.
Criticising debates centred on power sharing while citizens mourn, he said: “We debate power sharing while citizens are sharing funeral programmes.”
He recalled watching in tears a recent attack in Doruwa Babuje, Plateau State: “I watched in tears yesterday as families in the Doruwa Babuje community in Plateau State buried their dead after attacks by armed terrorists, but our media and leaders were focused on discussions about party issues and the 2027 elections.”
Obi urged the political leadership to prioritise human life. “We strategise about 2027 while Nigerians struggle to survive 2026. This is inhumane.
“We must elevate human life to a sacred status in our national priorities,” he said.
He concluded by redefining leadership in stark terms: “Leadership is not about winning elections; it is about saving lives.
“History will not remember how many strategies we perfected for 2027; it will remember whether we acted when Nigerians were dying. We must choose Nigerian lives over politics. We must put Nigerians first.”
