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Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has faulted Nigerian political leaders for focusing on calculations for the 2027 election despite worsening insecurity across the country.
In a statement shared on Sunday, Obi said that more than 1,000 Nigerians had reportedly been killed within the first two months of 2026, with thousands more abducted. He described it as troubling that political actors were preoccupied with electoral strategies while violence escalates nationwide.
He pointed to repeated attacks across several states, including Zamfara, Kwara, Ondo, Kebbi, Edo, Benue, Adamawa, and Plateau, noting that many communities have suffered killings, displacement, and widespread fear due to armed violence.
“It is profoundly disturbing that 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.
“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.” the statement read.
According to him, over 25 states across all geopolitical zones have recorded incidents ranging from kidnappings and mass shootings to village raids and attacks on worshippers and travellers. He warned that the scale of violence in Nigeria now rivals that of countries officially at war, yet receives insufficient urgency in political discourse.
Obi also criticised what he described as misplaced priorities among leaders, saying discussions around zoning arrangements, party structures, and campaign strategies appear to overshadow the ongoing loss of lives.
Referencing a recent attack in Doruwa Babuje community in Plateau State, Obi said the human cost of the crisis continues to grow, even as national attention shifts elsewhere. He stressed that governance should prioritise protecting lives over electoral ambitions, urging leaders to place greater value on human security.
He added that history would judge public officials not by their political strategies but by their response to the ongoing crisis, calling on leaders to put the safety and welfare of Nigerians above politics.
“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.”
His remarks come as insecurity persists in parts of northern Nigeria, particularly in the northwest and north-central regions, where armed groups continue to carry out deadly attacks, kidnappings, and village raids.
Recent incidents include a February attack on Tungan Dutse village in Zamfara State, where gunmen on motorcycles killed at least 50 people and abducted several others.
