Obi vows to enter forests to rescue kidnap victims if elected in 2027

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says he would personally go into the forest to rescue kidnap victims if he is elected president in 2027.

He made the promise during campaign stops in Enugu and Bayelsa states, according to reports by Sahara Reporters and Daily Trust.

"I will not be president and somebody will kidnap our children; we will enter the bush together," Obi said at a town hall in Enugu, according to Sahara Reporters. In Bayelsa, Daily Trust quoted him saying: "If anybody kidnaps anybody, I will go into the bush. We will go into that bush and rescue the person."

The promise matters to ordinary Nigerians because kidnapping for ransom, including the abduction of schoolchildren, has made road travel and schooling risky in many parts of the country.

What Obi is promising

Obi said an NDC government would unite the country and secure its highways. He cited his own recent road journeys — from Enugu to Bayelsa, and earlier stops in Lokoja, Akwanga and Ebonyi — as proof that the roads need protecting.

He also pledged to declare emergencies in corruption, education and electricity. Basic primary education would be free, he said, in partnership with state governments, and his administration would produce, transmit and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts of power. He put current output under the APC at about 4,000 megawatts.

On corruption, Obi said public money would be used for public good, adding: "If we want to borrow money, you will know what the money is being borrowed for."

Attacks on Tinubu

Obi criticised President Bola Tinubu for not visiting Bayelsa, an oil-producing state, and for travelling abroad frequently instead of campaigning across Nigeria.

The two outlets gave different figures for the President's foreign trips: Sahara Reporters quoted Obi saying "over 350 times", while Daily Trust quoted him saying the President had spent "over 200 days, sometimes 260 days" out of the country.

Obi also questioned what he said was nearly $100bn borrowed by the federal government, asking the President to account for the money. Sahara Reporters quoted him saying "nearly 100 billion dollars"; Daily Trust rendered the same claim as "nearly $100bn".

He urged Nigerians not to vote for him because he is Igbo, but on competence. "I'm asking for your vote because I'm the most qualified to be President of Nigeria," Sahara Reporters quoted him saying.

At the Enugu event, Professor Pat Utomi urged Nigerians to vote and defend their votes, while Senator Victor Umeh endorsed the Obi–Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso partnership. In Bayelsa, NDC national leader Senator Seriake Dickson called on Nigerians to take part in the 2027 elections.

The President and the APC have not responded to Obi's claims in the reports reviewed.

What happens next

Obi's nationwide tour continues ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the NDC positioning itself as an alternative to the ruling APC.