Obi tells Tinubu to 'go home and rest' at Ebonyi rally, vows sector emergencies
- Peter Obi told an Abakaliki town hall that President Tinubu lacks the energy and competence to govern.
- He challenged Tinubu to visit Ebonyi and account for three years of borrowing and spending.
- Obi promised emergency declarations in security, education, health, corruption, power and food.
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), took his 2027 campaign to Abakaliki on Thursday, telling a town hall crowd that President Bola Tinubu should step aside because he lacks the strength and skill to run the country.
Speaking at the Citi-Hub Centre on Mile 50, Obi said the President should "pack his things, go home and rest." He also asked Tinubu to come to Ebonyi and explain how his government has spent the money it has borrowed over the past three years.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said the President has spent more than 260 days abroad since taking office, yet says he cannot spare 36 days to campaign in all states. Channels TV and Vanguard both reported the figure; Naija Breaking could not independently verify it.
An appeal beyond ethnicity
Obi urged voters in the South-East not to back him simply because he is Igbo. He said Ebonyi residents should choose him for his qualifications and record, warning that ethnic politics would only split the region.
"I want you to vote for me because I am qualified to be the President of this country," he said.
He also promised to apply the federal character principle openly in public appointments, so that every part of Nigeria is represented.
What he says he would do
If elected, Obi said he would declare a state of emergency in several areas: security, education, healthcare, corruption, food production, power and national unity. The lists differed slightly between outlets — Vanguard and The Whistler did not mention power, while Channels did.
On security, he said his government would go after anyone who abducts schoolchildren, and would equip security agencies to protect communities. On corruption, he said public money must serve the public, and that anyone who steals it would face jail, "starting from the President."
He put the number of out-of-school children at more than 18 million and said reducing it would be a priority. He also promised working health centres in every political ward and support for farmers to return to their land and grow for local food and export.
The event was a town hall and stakeholders' meeting of the NDC, the party fielding Obi for the 2027 election.
What happens next: The 2027 general election is still more than a year away, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not yet released the final timetable. For now, these are campaign promises. Voters will weigh them against the government's own account of its record, which Tinubu's team is expected to keep presenting on the trail.
