The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has vowed to personally lead efforts to rescue kidnapped victims from forests if elected president in 2027, declaring that his administration would not tolerate kidnapping and insecurity.
Obi made the pledge while addressing supporters during a campaign rally in Bayelsa State, where he promised to make Nigeria safe for citizens to travel and carry out their daily activities without fear.
The former Anambra State governor said his administration would prioritise national unity and ensure that no region or group felt excluded from the Nigerian project.
“We will make Nigeria work. We will make Nigeria a place where people will live. We will secure Nigeria. Nobody will live in Nigeria where you can’t travel on the road again,” he said.
Obi cited his recent road trips across several states to highlight the need to improve security on the country’s highways.
He disclosed that he travelled from Enugu to Bayelsa by road, after visiting Lokoja, Akwanga and Ebonyi State in the preceding days.
“I came to Bayelsa this morning from Enugu by road; I moved around Nigeria by road. On Tuesday, I was in Lokoja; on Wednesday, I was in Akwanga; yesterday, I was in Ebonyi, and today I am in Bayelsa. Our roads must be secured,” he said.
Obi also criticised President Bola Tinubu over what he described as the President’s failure to visit Bayelsa State, despite its contribution to Nigeria’s economy through oil production.
He questioned Tinubu’s frequent foreign trips, arguing that the President should devote more time to engaging with Nigerians across the country.
“This is a state where Nigeria discovered oil. This is a state where we get money we share, and the President said he will not come here to campaign,” Obi said.
“Our President has travelled out of the country for over 200 days, sometimes 260 days, but he will not come to Bayelsa for one day, and he wants you to vote for him.”
On insecurity, the NDC candidate promised decisive action against kidnappers, particularly those targeting schoolchildren and other vulnerable Nigerians.
“NDC will secure Nigeria under our government. If anybody takes schoolchildren, if anybody kidnaps anybody, I will go into the bush. We will go into that bush and rescue the person. Nobody will try that in our government,” he declared.
Obi Promises to Tackle Corruption, Improve Education
The former governor also pledged to tackle corruption and ensure that public funds were managed transparently and deployed for the benefit of Nigerians.
He said an NDC-led administration would prioritise education, electricity and other essential services, promising to work with state governments to provide free basic education.
“They say if you fight corruption, corruption will fight you back. And I’m telling you, under the NDC, you run away. You will not fight back because we will use public money for public good,” he said.
“Under NDC, your children will be in school; there will be classrooms. We will work with the states to ensure that basic education, which is primary, will be free.”
NDC Candidate Targets 10,000MW Electricity Generation
On electricity, Obi promised that his administration would work towards producing, transmitting and distributing at least 10,000 megawatts of power.
He compared the proposed target with what he described as the approximately 4,000 megawatts currently generated under the APC-led administration.
“We will produce, transmit and distribute a minimum of 10,000 megawatts of electricity. The minimum we have today under APC is 4,000,” he said.
The NDC candidate said his proposed policies on security, education, electricity and public accountability would form part of his administration’s efforts to improve living conditions across the country.
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