Morrison

A NEW AND PRODUCTIVE NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE, AND NIGERIA WILL BE OK Yesterday, 26th of October, our Party, the NDC Campaign council was inaugurated in Abuja. As part of my remarks, I told Nigerians how our richly endowed nation, the giant of Africa, is now the world’s poverty capital. Regrettably, over 140 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor, representing more than 60% of the population. Corruption remains widespread, while insecurity affects every part of our country. Unemployment and inequality are at record levels, and Nigerians face severe and avoidable hardship. Even with the removal of the fuel subsidy and reckless borrowing, with a debt of over ₦165 trillion, there has been little or no corresponding increase in productivity. In the last three years, President Tinubu has foisted on Nigeria a reign of corruption and duplicity, resulting in extreme poverty. Today, President Tinubu has made history as the leader who has created the largest number of poor people in the world. This year, he has made about 16 million Nigerians extremely poor. Just last Saturday, President Tinubu, while launching his re-election campaign in Kaduna, blamed past and opposition leaders for the hunger and poverty that have ravaged Nigerians. What is clear is that President Tinubu does not have the competence, the capacity, the character, compassion or the commitment to solve the problems he created. He lacks the energy and the resolve to get Nigeria out of the current worsening crisis. Under President Tinubu, despite his promise to fix electricity, Nigeria now has the lowest consumption of electricity. Without reliable power, businesses cannot expand efficiently, hospitals cannot provide dependable services, schools struggle to operate effectively, and households face additional financial burdens. We will pursue an electricity reform programme focused on reliability, affordability, investment, and accountability. We will work with relevant federal and state institutions, regulators, operators, and investors to address the weaknesses affecting generation, transmission, and distribution. Under President Tinubu, Nigeria is more divided than ever, more terrorised than ever and more insecure than ever. Under President Tinubu, Nigeria has fallen into a crisis of values, such that our budgets are no longer credible and our laws are forged. Nothing is sacred. Nothing is spared from degradation, not budgets, not laws, not institutions. From our engagements with Nigerians across the country and all segments of society, the message is clear: Nigerians want and deserve a better, more productive nation, one in which good governance is visible, firmly established, effectively practised and embraced as part of our national culture. I, Peter Obi, with my very dear elder brother, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, implore and beckon all of you, committed members of our great party, the NDC, and all Nigerians, to join us in this crusade of rebuilding our dear and most endowed nation, Nigeria. Today, we begin a renewed journey towards a New Nigeria, united by shared purpose, founded on fairness, justice and equity, and committed to productivity, inclusion and development. We envision a nation where government prioritises the security and welfare of its people, good governance prevails, and public officials remain accountable. It will be a law-abiding society of healthy, skilled and educated citizens, where every child attends school and learns to read and write. No Nigerian should live in a displaced-persons camp, and corruption must no longer weaken our institutions or the fabric of our nation. A New Nigeria is our vision. A New Nigeria is our mission. Corruption today has become more pervasive under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s APC-led government. No state institution has been spared, and since 2023, its effects have spread throughout national life.

CIVILITY IS NOT WEAKNESS. ENOUGH OF THE HARASSMENT OF MY SUPPORTERS. RELEASE RILWAN OLAWALE NOW. The continued intimidation and harassment of my supporters across the country, the latest being the case of Rilwan Olawale, is disturbing and unacceptable. President Bola Tinubu has remained a huge beneficiary of our democracy and should not brazenly be destroying it by encouraging and facilitating violence. Our campaign is peaceful and issue-driven, focused on offering Nigerians a credible alternative built on competence, accountability, justice, and compassion. We have chosen the path of peace, not violence; persuasion, not intimidation. However, nobody should mistake our civility for weakness, our restraint for fear, or our commitment to peace for an absence of resolve. We will not be intimidated into silence, nor will we abandon Nigerians who believe in a New Nigeria that is possible and will be OK. I therefore demand transparency regarding Rilwan Olawale’s arrest, his release, respect for his rights, and an end to politically motivated harassment. No government or political party has the right to deny Nigerians the freedom to support a candidate of their choice. We will remain peaceful but resolute. We will not resort to violence, but we will stand firmly and lawfully against every attempt to undermine our democratic rights. A New Nigeria is POssible and will be OK. -PO