I’ll Negotiate with Bandits Willing to Embrace Peace -Obi

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has said he would be open to dialogue with bandits and other armed groups if they demonstrate a genuine willingness to abandon violence and embrace peace.

Speaking during an interview on BlackBox with Rufai Oseni on Tuesday, Obi said his approach to addressing insecurity would combine engagement with groups seeking reconciliation and decisive action against those who persist in violence.

According to him, any individual or group willing to pursue peace and contribute to national development would be allowed to do so, while those committed to violence would face the full force of the law.

“In uniting the country, anybody who wants peace, I will talk with him; I will negotiate with him,” Obi said. 

“Anybody who wants war, we will go to war.”

The former Anambra State governor argued that people who have erred in the past should be allowed to reform if they show a sincere commitment to change.

To illustrate his point, Obi recalled visiting a university in the United States where several members of the institution’s leadership, including academics and administrators, had previously served prison terms before rebuilding their lives and careers.

He said Nigeria had reached a point where it must embrace honesty, reconciliation and rehabilitation as part of efforts to rebuild the country.

“I once visited a university in America where the entire faculty are people who came out of prison,” he said.

“From the dean to the registrar, professors spent years in prison for one offence or the other.

“So, if you say you want to change and be part of this new Nigeria we are talking about, we have reached a point where we have to tell ourselves the truth,”he added. 

Obi stated that his administration would focus on national unity, inclusion and ensuring that no ethnic group, region or community feels excluded from governance.

He said his vision for the country is one built on fairness, cohesion and equal opportunities, stressing that every Nigerian would be treated with dignity and care regardless of background.

“I will unite the country and secure that nobody is left behind. No tribe is left behind; there would be inclusiveness,” he said.

“We will show love and care for everybody.”