Peter Obi: Nigeria Collapsing, Divided Under Tinubu, May Drift into Anarchy If Re-Elected

Former presidential candidate Peter Obi says Nigeria is collapsing and divided under President Bola Tinubu, warning the country may drift into a more devastating situation if he is reelected in 2027.

“The country is collapsing, and if you allow it to go further, it would be worse,” Mr Obi said during the African Democratic Congress convention in Abuja on Tuesday. “We need to work as a united Nigeria for the sake of Nigeria. The country is so divided, so we need unity. The present government has ensured that we remain more divided. Our unity is important.”

Mr Obi, who decried the high poverty rate under Mr Tinubu, further accused the All Progressives Congress-led government of excessive borrowing.

He added, “If you check your indices, when the present government came into being, our poverty rate was 41.6% and 8 million people. Today, we are 63% and 140 million people. So they have almost doubled that.

“When this government came into being, we removed the petroleum subsidy to stop borrowing for services and use the money to develop the country. Today, we are about 200 trillion in debt. Worse still, this government owes contractors; no projects of 2025 have been funded. We have a huge debt and have borrowed more.”

The former Anambra government said the country may descend into disaster, stressing the need for sacrifices among Nigerians.

“We are heading to disaster. I used these figures to show you we are drifting. We all have to work hard because anarchy consumes everybody. We must now sacrifice for the sake of our children. If we don’t do anything, what is happening will take revenge on our children and us,” Mr Obi stated.

Peter Obi

The presidency could not be reached for comment on Mr Obi’s latest allegations.

About 141 million Nigerians were projected to fall into abject poverty in 2026, as Nigeria’s poverty rate was projected to rise exponentially to 62 per cent this year, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Nigeria Economic Outlook published in January.

The report revealed that the poverty rate, which stood at 59% in 2024, rose to 61% (139 million people) in 2025 and is expected to climb to 62% (141 million) in 2026.

Peter Obi Vows To Declare War On Terrorists If Elected President

Peter Obi vows to declare war on terrorists. Former Governor of Anambra State and the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has said he would declare war on terrorists and reject negotiation as a response to insecurity if elected president.

Drawing on his record as Anambra State governor, he argued that decisive action can restore safety across Nigeria.

Obi made the comments in an interview with Arise TV on Monday, during a discussion focused on the country’s worsening security situation, including the recent killing of Brigadier-General Oseni Braimah and several soldiers in a Boko Haram/ISWAP attack in Benisheikh, Borno State.

“No nation will lose about 10 of its senior officers without a response. I will declare war on the terrorists. There is nothing like negotiation,” he said.

Obi said the approach that worked in Anambra during his tenure as governor remained the template he would apply nationally.

He recalled going directly to former President Olusegun Obasanjo to seek authority to act.

“I had to come here and tell President Obasanjo, this is what I want to do and you must allow me to do it,” he said, adding that the results were verifiable.

He named former army commander, Jarrell Enenche, and the late security officials John Haruna and Commissioner Bello as witnesses to the outcomes.

He cited a former Inspector-General of Police as confirmation that the strategy worked.

Obi argued, however, that military force alone was insufficient and that the roots of today’s insecurity lay in decades of policy failure.

“What you are seeing today is the cumulative effect of leadership failure over the years, erosion of governance, erosion of values, abandoning the youth, education, social trust, everything,” he said.

He outlined a two-track response: immediate decisive force combined with long-term institutional rebuilding.

“You start building while you are pushing. You bring governance, justice, people are punished if they do the wrong thing,” he said.

Peter Obi

When the interviewer noted that he would need to become president to execute such plans, Obi did not dispute the point, pressing instead on the allies he would need and his commitment to front-line leadership.

He named northern political figures, including former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai and former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, among those he would work with, saying he intended to “be in the north.”

He ended with a direct pledge on leadership style. “I am not going to lead from the back. People will see, they will feel it.”

ADC Releases Updated Convention Committee, Subcommittees Lists

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has released the updated lists of its Convention Committee and Subcommittees ahead of its forthcoming national convention.

In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the update is aimed at strengthening coordination and ensuring a smooth and credible convention.

ADC

The ADC urged all committee members to discharge their responsibilities with diligence and called on stakeholders to support the process.

Signed,

Bolaji Abdullahi
National Publicity Secretary
African Democratic Congress (ADC)