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The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi has pledged to spend his vacations in Nigeria if elected president in the 2027 general elections.
Obi made the pledge in his Independence Day address in Abuja on Thursday. He said he would use his four-year tenure to travel across the country and engage directly with Nigerians. He said the visits would help him understand the challenges facing communities across the country.
“As I have always done, I will lead by example. In four years as President of this great nation, I will not spend my holidays outside Nigeria,” Obi said.
He said he would spend his holidays in states including Zamfara, Borno, Kwara, Ebonyi and Edo.
“I want to continue to see Nigeria. I want to know Nigeria. I want to spend time with Nigerians, listen to them, understand their challenges and celebrate their resilience,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor also promised measurable and accountable governance if elected. He said his administration would focus on Nigerians’ welfare and productivity.
“As President of Nigeria, I will make governance measurable, accountable and centred on the welfare and productivity of our people,” Obi said.
He added that Nigerians would begin to see the impact of his leadership within his first year. Obi also promised to tackle insecurity across the country. He said farmers would be able to return to their farms, while children could return to school. He also promised an environment where businesses could operate without fear.
“We will confront insecurity decisively so that our farmers can return to their farms, our children can return to school, businesses can operate freely, and families can live without fear. No Nigerian should be forced to live in an IDP camp because his or her government has failed to provide security,” he added.
Obi used the Independence Day address to criticise the APC-led Nigerian Government. He said Nigeria continued to face serious challenges despite promises made before the 2023 election.
According to him, these include poverty, insecurity, terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
“Despite the enormous promises made by the APC-led government in 2023, our nation continues to face deepening challenges across virtually every critical sector of national life,” he said.
Obi argued that Nigeria’s biggest problem was not a lack of resources. Instead, he said successive governments had failed to turn the country’s resources into better living conditions, security and economic opportunities. Obi also referred to his recent visit to Sokoto State with his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso. He said they held consultations on insecurity, poverty, unemployment, drug abuse and out-of-school children.
The delegation also visited an Internally Displaced Persons camp in Ramin Kura, within Sokoto metropolis. Obi said the visit exposed the hardship faced by displaced women and children.
“Instead, they live as displaced persons in their own country. What we saw in Ramin Kura is not an isolated story. It is a reflection of the suffering experienced, in different forms, across many parts of Nigeria,” he said.
He also criticised political leaders for failing to address the problems facing Nigerians.
“The political leaders have failed our country and, most importantly, we have failed our children. This must change,” Obi said.
The latest pledge follows earlier comments by Obi on presidential holidays outside Nigeria. In September, he said Nigeria’s president should spend holidays within the country and visit communities facing security and development challenges.
“Nigeria’s President must spend his vacation in Nigeria,” he said then.
He also said he would visit states such as Zamfara and Borno instead of spending holidays abroad. Obi has also previously said he would support measures to reduce medical tourism among political office holders. His latest pledge forms part of his wider message on leadership, accountability and closer engagement with Nigerians.
