Tinubu lacks capacity, energy to govern Nigeria – Obi

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has declared that President Bola Tinubu lacked the energy and capacity to govern Nigeria, insisting that the country needed new leadership to address its worsening challenges.

Obi also warned against electoral manipulation in the 2027 general elections, declaring that his party would resist any attempt to rig the polls.

He spoke on Monday at a dinner in Abuja organised to present certificates of return to the NDC’s candidates for the 2027 general elections.

The former Anambra State governor accused the Tinubu administration of failing to address the country’s challenges, arguing that Nigerians were yearning for a change in leadership.

“Everything is collapsing. Nigerians are looking for new leadership, and I can assure you that we will get it. Today, President Tinubu has led a government that lacks competence, capacity, compassion and commitment to deal with Nigeria’s problems.

“Above all, President Tinubu does not have the energy that can solve power for Nigeria today. And he must go. He needs to go home.

“Nigerians cannot be governed with his energy of today. The people need a President who will be available, and that will always be there,” Obi said.

Obi called for a free, fair and credible election, warning those who might contemplate manipulating the results that the NDC would not allow the process to be subverted.

“Let it be known that if anybody rigs 2027, we will rig him. We want a free, fair and credible election. Don’t give anybody an excuse. We need to make this country work. Nigerians should be proud to travel anywhere,” he said.

The NDC candidate also condemned the alleged harassment of his party’s supporters and other Nigerians, warning that his preference for peaceful conduct should not be mistaken for weakness.

“So, go out and campaign. And for those who are harassing our supporters and innocent Nigerians, let me warn you again. Humility is not weakness. It is a virtue. Good behaviour is not weakness. Nobody has a monopoly on rascality,” Obi said.

He appealed to political actors to end intimidation and assured supporters that he would campaign across the country ahead of the election.

“I am warning and pleading with everybody that enough is enough. I will go to every state and campaign in every Senatorial zone there because we are Nigerians,” he added.

The national chairman of the NDC, Moses Cleopas, warned members against anti-party activities, insisting that all supporters of its presidential candidate must work for the success of the party’s candidates at all levels in the 2027 general elections.

Giving the warning at the National Executive Committee meeting of the party on Monday, where the party also outlined its preparations for the elections and reaffirmed its commitment to securing victory at the polls, Cleopas said members who engaged in anti-party activities would face sanctions, stressing that Obi’s supporters must support NDC candidates from the presidential election down to the other elective positions.

Speaking at the NEC meeting, Cleopas stressed that party unity and loyalty would be critical to the success of the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.

He argued that supporting Obi for president while rejecting other NDC candidates on personal grounds would undermine the party’s electoral chances and weaken its ability to govern effectively if it wins the presidential election.

He said, “If you are supporting Peter Obi as the presidential candidate, you cannot say, ‘ Because I don’t like the face of my governorship candidate, I will back the one from an opposition party. How do you then respect Obi when he becomes the President of this country? It had to be NDC from top to bottom.

“So, if we want a stable government, because this is democracy, don’t you know that our presidential and vice-presidential candidates need the majority, if not all, of the National Assembly for our party? Otherwise, how will they get the Senate President and House of Representatives Speaker of their choice?

“That is the reason why we must support our party candidates from top to bottom to get the Nigeria we want.”

The NDC chairman said the party needed a strong legislative presence to complement its presidential ambitions, arguing that winning the presidency without securing substantial representation in the National Assembly could undermine its ability to implement its policies.

He urged party leaders and members to subordinate personal preferences to collective interests, insisting that candidates who emerged under the party’s platform deserved the support of its members.

Cleopas added, “Therefore, I admonished all our party members, chapter chairmen, NEC members, and leaders of our party that NDC unity should be our priority. As we leave this NEC and return to our base, you may not like the face of a candidate, but you must accept that he is your party’s candidate. You don’t have a choice.

“Let us work together so that we can have the Nigeria of our dream under the Presidency of Mr Peter Gregory Obi and Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso.”

He warned that members who worked against the party’s candidates could face disciplinary action under its constitution, describing such conduct as anti-party activity.

“When the party is heading in one direction, and you are going in the other direction, that is called anti-party activity. And when it is clearly established, the constitution has clearly stipulated what should be done. As state managers, you should know how to take it up to,” he said.

The national leader of the party, Seriake Dickson, said the NDC was formed to prevent Nigeria from becoming a one-party state under the ruling All Progressives Congress.

He accused the APC of failing to fulfil its promises on security and the fight against corruption, while worsening the country’s economic situation despite its pledge to turn the economy around.

Speaking at a dinner in Abuja organised to present certificates of return to the NDC’s candidates for the 2027 general elections, Dickson said the NDC was established to provide an alternative political platform and challenge what he described as the wrong direction in which the APC had taken the country.

“The main reason we formed this platform is to ensure that Nigeria does not become a one-party state. And by the grace of God, that prayer will be answered,” Dickson said.

He said the party’s formation was also driven by its fundamental disagreement with the APC’s governance record since it assumed power in 2015.

“We disagree because the APC promised to secure Nigeria. Have they secured it? We disagree with the direction they have taken Nigeria because they promised to fight corruption since 2015. Have they done it?” he asked.

Dickson also criticised the APC’s economic policies, arguing that the party had failed to deliver the economic turnaround it promised Nigerians.

“They even vowed that they were going to turn around the economy. They have turned around the economy, clearly. But it is for the worse. They have taken our economy from top to bottom,” he said.

The NDC leader, however, expressed optimism about the party’s prospects in the 2027 elections, saying its members had overcome considerable challenges to build the platform and offer Nigerians an alternative.

He described the party’s candidates as the best among those contesting the forthcoming elections, citing his interactions with them during the party’s formation over the past year.

“I must say, as someone who interacted with every one of you in the past year, we did nothing else other than to sit and build this party brick by brick. Based on that privileged knowledge, I can say without fear of contradiction that you are indeed the best of all candidates who are contesting elections.

“You are the best candidates. I thank you all for your belief and support. That’s the way politics goes. You are also equal partakers of this vision, co-owners of this project,” Dickson said.

He urged the candidates to remain committed to the party’s vision, expressing confidence that the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, could deliver the change the party was promising.

“All of us have collectively defied all odds to take this uncommon, difficult path. Today we are not alone. We can now see on the horizon the change that we all desire and that a new Nigeria that is possible will be ushered in by our dear presidential candidate and his running mate,” he added.

The party also reported a revenue of N8.53bn within eight months of its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, with N6.13bn remaining in its coffers after expenditure of N2.40bn.

The party’s National Treasurer, Dr Peter Onigah, disclosed this on the sidelines after presenting the party’s financial statement at its third NEC meeting.

The figures indicate that the NDC retained about 72 per cent of its reported inflows, as it prepares to expand its structures and intensify political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Onigah said the party was committed to transparency, prudence and accountability in managing its finances, adding that a detailed breakdown of its transactions would be provided as it approaches the end of its first accounting year.

“We have been very prudent. Our chief is made up of technocrats, people who are experienced and people who have different capacities,” he said.

The treasurer attributed the party’s financial management approach to the experience of its officials, the guidance of its national leaders and the National Working Committee.

He said the leadership had avoided exhausting the resources available to the party, stressing that all contributions received would be properly accounted for.

Onigah also appealed to Nigerians and party members to support the NDC financially, noting that the party was still building its structures and had yet to secure control of government at any level.

“As a new party, we don’t have people in government yet. All of us are outside the government. So we need to contribute together and ensure that our party will prevail and achieve the desired objectives,” he said.

The treasurer urged supporters to contribute towards funding the party’s programmes and other political activities, particularly as preparations for the next general elections gather momentum.

Also speaking, Victor Umeh commended the party’s leadership for presenting its financial statement and retaining more than N6bn from its reported inflows.

Umeh described the balance as seed money for the party’s future activities, while acknowledging that it would not be sufficient to meet all its organisational and political needs.

He said the funds were raised through contributions from party members rather than external sources, adding that the NDC would require additional resources to finance its campaigns and other programmes.

The senator encouraged members and supporters to explore ways of contributing to the party’s financial sustainability.

He also urged the leadership to consider established practices in party financing, particularly contributions from state chapters and other stakeholders during election and nomination periods.

Also on Monday, the party inaugurated its newly acquired national secretariat in Abuja, marking a significant step in the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The unveiling ceremony took place in the Jabi area of the Federal Capital Territory, shortly after an emergency meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee.

Those in attendance included the NDC National Chairman, Cleopas; the party’s National Leader, Dickson; Umeh, who represents Anambra Central in the National Assembly; and the party’s Rivers State governorship candidate, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, among other leaders and members.

The PUNCH gathered that the newly acquired facility would also serve as the party’s presidential campaign headquarters as it intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The party also inaugurated its campaign council, having its national leader, Dickson, as chairman and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as co-chairman.

Cleopas was named vice-chairman, while the vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was named co-vice-chairman.

Other appointees include former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, as chairman of the National Advisory Council; former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege; former presidential candidate, Pat Utomi; and former National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change, Buba Galadima.

The NDC National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, was appointed council secretary, while Ibrahim Abdulkarim will serve as Director-General.

The NDC was registered by INEC on February 5, 2026, following a court order issued by the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), announced the registration during the commission’s quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja.

The registration followed a judgment in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, Barr Takori Mohammed Sanni & Ors v. INEC, which directed the electoral commission to register the party.

Since its registration, the NDC has positioned itself as a platform for opposition forces ahead of the 2027 elections.

OK Movement mocks campaign

The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has, however, mocked the NDC over the unveiling of its National Campaign Council, questioning the party’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections and boasting that it has a stronger grassroots structure.

The Director-General of the OK Movement, John Ughulu, said the NDC had waited too long to organise its campaign machinery, warning that political ambition without effective grassroots mobilisation and coordination would not guarantee electoral victory.

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the Ok Movement said it had done the necessary groundwork while others were only beginning to organise, predicting that some of those appointed to the council might eventually seek its support and mobilisation network.

He said, “The funny part of this list is that 90 per cent of the people on it will still come knocking on the doors of the OK Movement to beg for the very structure they have failed to build themselves.”

Ughulu added, “With less than three months to the general elections, they are only just announcing their Presidential Campaign Council. What exactly have they been doing all this time? Where is the structure? Where is the strategy? Where is the machinery required to prosecute a serious national election?”

The criticism comes amid an escalating disagreement between the NDC and the OK Movement over the latter’s organisational independence and its place in the campaign for the party’s presidential candidate, Obi, and running mate, Kwankwaso.