Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has issued a scathing assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, declaring that the president lacks the physical energy, capacity, and competence required to address the nation’s mounting economic and security challenges.
Speaking on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at the party’s state secretariat in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Obi addressed supporters during a homecoming reception for the former Governor of Bayelsa State and National Leader of the NDC, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson.
The event, which commenced at 10:00 AM, brought together key opposition leaders and regional stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi’s remarks in Yenagoa follow a series of town hall appearances across the South-East zone, including engagements at the Amadeo Event Centre in Enugu on Thursday evening, October 29, 2026, and a subsequent stakeholder gathering in Owerri, Imo State, on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Addressing the gathering in Yenagoa, Obi urged President Tinubu to step down from seeking a second term, asserting that governance demands active physical presence and vigorous leadership.
Obi stated that President Tinubu lacks both the competence and energy needed to run the country, suggesting he pack his belongings and go home to rest. He noted that the job requires time and vitality, accusing the current administration of lacking competence, capacity, compassion, and commitment in handling Nigeria’s pressing issues.
Obi further criticised the president’s frequent foreign travels, noting that while the administration reports long periods abroad, public accountability at home remains minimal. He challenged the president to spend at least 36 days touring all states of the federation to account for public borrowing and government performance.
Outlining the NDC’s vision for governance, Obi pledged a fundamental economic transition from a consumption-driven model to one centered on local production. To achieve this, he announced that an NDC administration would declare state emergencies across four major sectors. On national unity, the party intends to strictly enforce federal character principles in public employment to eliminate ethnic divisions.
In addressing national security, Obi promised direct military and executive action against banditry and kidnapping, backed by his personal oversight of security operations. The party’s anti-corruption policy will center on the rigid enforcement of anti-graft laws and the prosecution of any public official who misuses state funds.
Finally, on social infrastructure, the policy aims to achieve targeted reductions in the number of out-of-school children while establishing functional primary healthcare centers across every political ward nationwide.
Supporting Obi’s address, NDC National Leader Senator Henry Seriake Dickson highlighted the party’s founding rationale following its registration directed by Federal High Court ruling Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025. Dickson criticized the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for failing to meet its 2015 campaign promises regarding security, anti-corruption, and economic turnaround.
Political economist and former presidential adviser Professor Pat Utomi, who also addressed delegates at the regional briefings, emphasized voter mobilization and vote defense, stating that genuine structural reform remains achievable if citizens participate actively in the electoral process.
The NDC leadership affirmed that the party will continue its nationwide consultative campaign across all six geopolitical zones in the coming months.
