Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 general elections, has declared that Nigerians across all walks of life are suffering under President Bola Tinubu’s administration due to worsening hunger, widespread insecurity, and systemic harassment.

Speaking with journalists at St Fintan’s Catholic Church in Onicha Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, on Friday, Obi urged citizens to stand firm and resist further hardship imposed by the country’s current leadership. He was in Ebonyi State to attend the burial ceremony of Okaji Okorie, father of the NDC senatorial candidate for the Ebonyi South Zone, Linus Okorie.

Responding to questions regarding the alleged harassment of NDC supporters by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Obi said the current hardship transcends political affiliations.

“For me, every Nigerian is already being harassed, not just my supporters,” Obi said. “Hunger is harassing everybody. The worsening economic situation is affecting everyone. Go to any village, and you will see that people are suffering. It is time for Nigerians to tell those governing us that enough is enough.”

Addressing concerns over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ability to conduct free and fair elections in 2027, Obi urged citizens to focus on collective action rather than institutional trust.

“It is not really about confidence in INEC; it is about having confidence in the people. The people will determine what INEC does. If Nigerians insist that their votes must count, then their votes will count,” he asserted.

Obi noted that advocating for real change in the current political climate requires tremendous courage. “Anyone talking about change in Nigeria today is making the ultimate sacrifice because we cannot continue like this. Every single day, poverty is increasing; every single day, hunger is increasing,” he said.

Citing World Bank data, Obi said poverty had risen to almost 79 per cent from about 51 per cent when the current government came into office. He also argued that food insecurity had worsened significantly since the administration assumed office in 2023, with the number of Nigerians facing acute food insecurity rising from about 17 million to about 35 million.

“No one disputes that this administration inherited serious challenges. However, leadership is measured not by the challenges inherited but by the results achieved,” Obi said.

He attributed the worsening situation to persistent insecurity, poor economic management, fiscal indiscipline, wasteful public spending and inadequate investment in productive sectors. Obi urged the Federal Government to prioritise investments in education, healthcare, agriculture, security and support for small businesses, while implementing policies that would create jobs, boost production and reduce poverty.

“The people should look at what is happening in Nigeria and ask themselves: What is the future of our children in this enterprise called Nigeria? Are we going to continue in this direction?” Obi asked.