2027: Obi Promises Immediate Security Shake-Up, Says He Won’t Sit in Abuja While Nigerians Face Attacks

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has promised to take immediate action against insecurity if elected president in 2027, saying he would appoint competent heads of the security services and personally visit areas facing serious security challenges.

Obi made the pledge while outlining his proposed security strategy, arguing that insecurity had become a major obstacle to agriculture, trade, manufacturing and the movement of Nigerians across the country.

He said his first responsibility as Commander-in-Chief would be to ensure that Nigerians could live and conduct their businesses without fear.

According to him, one of his first actions would be to appoint competent heads of the security services and give them a clear and decisive mandate to tackle insecurity.

“In the first week, for me, is to appoint competent heads of the services with a decisive instruction to deal with it,” Obi said.

The former Anambra governor also promised a hands-on approach to security, saying he would not remain in Abuja while communities across the country were experiencing attacks.

He said he would travel to critical areas, assess the situation directly and engage stakeholders to understand the causes of insecurity and determine appropriate responses.

“I’m not going to sit down in Abuja if there’s a problem. We’re going to see what the problem is,” he said.

Obi also rejected the idea of paying ransom to kidnappers, saying his proposed approach would focus on intelligence, equipment and decisive action against criminal groups rather than negotiating payments.

He argued that security agencies already possess information and equipment that could be better deployed against those responsible for terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.

The NDC candidate linked security directly to economic development, saying farmers could not produce food, traders could not operate efficiently and manufacturers could not move goods when communities and transport routes remained unsafe.

His position is broadly consistent with the security agenda he unveiled during the commencement of his 2027 campaign, where he proposed improved intelligence gathering, stronger coordination among security agencies, better policing and border management, greater use of technology and lawful community-based security systems.

Obi also reiterated his commitment to serving only one term if elected president, saying four years would be sufficient to demonstrate a new direction for the country.

He has previously said he would not remain in office beyond four years, and reports indicate that his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said the pair have formalised agreements around a single four-year administration.

Obi argued that Nigerians do not need decades to see whether a government is moving the country in the right direction.

He said his objective would be to establish a standard of governance based on competence, accountability, national unity and measurable results.

On the economic front, Obi said Nigeria must move away from an economy driven largely by consumption and focus on production, job creation and poverty reduction.

He identified the North's large agricultural potential as one of the country's major economic opportunities, arguing that its vast arable land could be used to produce food, supply industries and generate export revenue.

He also stressed the importance of education, healthcare and employment, particularly for young Nigerians.

Obi said his broader vision was to build a country where every region could contribute economically according to its comparative advantages.

His campaign has similarly outlined a regional economic strategy in which agriculture and manufacturing would be strengthened in the North, while other regions would develop their respective strengths in manufacturing, technology, finance, trade, oil and gas, maritime services and the creative economy.

Asked about historical grievances in parts of the North over the 1966 killing of Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Obi acknowledged that serious wrongs had occurred but urged Nigerians to look beyond historical divisions.

He argued that Nigeria could not continue to build its future around past conflicts and urged citizens to focus on unity and development.

Obi said his proposed presidency would be centred on national unity and integrity, maintaining that the country's historical divisions could be overcome through a common commitment to building a better Nigeria.

The NDC candidate is now taking those promises into the 2027 campaign, where security, economic hardship, unemployment, food production and national unity are expected to remain major issues in the contest.