Peter Obi on Saturday told the national convention of the Nigeria Democratic Congress that Nigerians will have a free, fair and credible vote in 2027, setting out a direct challenge to the country’s political class ahead of the next general election. He said the contest must give citizens the chance to choose their leaders without fear or manipulation.
Obi said he joined the NDC to work with like-minded leaders committed to rebuilding Nigeria and said his political choices have always been guided by principle rather than personal interest. He cast that decision as part of a larger effort to prepare for 2027, when he said the country will have the opportunity to freely choose its leaders.
He framed the promise as more than a campaign line. Nigeria, he said, can overcome its current crises through accountable leadership and a production-driven economy, not by repeating the habits that have deepened hardship. He said the country is not poor, but has been looted into poverty, arguing that systemic looting rather than a lack of resources lies at the root of the crisis.
Obi said millions of Nigerians are now facing worsening poverty, unemployment and insecurity despite the country’s vast potential. He said over 140 million people are living in multidimensional poverty and more than 80 million young people are unemployed or underemployed, figures he used to underscore how deeply the strain has spread across households and communities.
The message also sharpened his economic case. Obi said Nigeria must urgently shift from a consumption-based economy to a production-driven system capable of creating jobs and improving living standards, warning that the country cannot keep depending on a structure that leaves so many people behind. For him, the path out of the crisis runs through work, output and leadership that can be measured against results.
His comments land at a moment when trust in institutions remains fragile and the credibility of the next election will be tested long before ballots are cast. The promise of free and fair elections in 2027 is bold in a political environment where many Nigerians have heard similar assurances before, but Obi tied that pledge to a broader claim: that the country’s problems are reversible if the right people are given power.
He put that belief plainly, saying some men change their party for the sake of their principles while others change their principles for the sake of their party. The line captures the case he made in front of the convention: that his move to the NDC is meant to build toward 2027, and that the real test now is whether Nigeria’s voters will be allowed to decide that year’s outcome freely.
