2027: We debate elections; citizens bury their dead  -  Obi laments

2026-03-01 - 08:37

A former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has decried what he described as the growing fixation of Nigeria’s political class on the 2027 general elections, warning that the country is facing a deepening humanitarian and security crisis that demands urgent national attention. In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Obi said it was “profoundly disturbing” that politicians were preoccupied with electoral strategies while hundreds of Nigerians were being killed and thousands abducted across the country. “While we, the politicians, continue to obsess over the 2027 elections — spending our energy scheming about how to capture, grab, and run the next election — the first two months of 2026 have reportedly seen the killing of over 1,000 Nigerians and the abduction of several thousand others,” he said. According to him, communities in several states have continued to suffer violent attacks, leaving families in mourning and entire areas deserted. “From Zamfara State to Kwara, Ondo, Kebbi, Edo, Benue, Adamawa, Plateau, and many other states, families have buried loved ones, and communities have been emptied by gunshots and fear,” Obi said. He added that more than 25 states across the country had recorded major incidents of violence, including kidnappings, mass shootings, village invasions and attacks on worshippers and travellers. “In over 25 states across all geopolitical zones this year alone, there have been major violent attacks on innocent citizens, kidnappings by armed bandits, mass shootings, village invasions, and brazen assaults on worshippers and travellers,” he said. Obi warned that the scale of bloodshed in the country now rivals situations in countries officially at war, lamenting what he described as a misplaced national focus. “The scale of bloodshed and the number of deaths in just two months in Nigeria are even worse than what we see in countries officially at war. Yet the urgency with which we discuss these tragedies does not match the urgency of our discussions surrounding zoning formulas, party structures, and campaign strategies,” he stated. He criticised political debates centred on power sharing while citizens were struggling to cope with loss and insecurity. “We debate power sharing while citizens are sharing funeral programmes,” Obi said. Recalling a recent attack in a community in Plateau State, the former governor said he was emotionally affected by the scenes of mourning, even as national discourse remained focused on partisan issues. “I watched in tears yesterday as families in the Doruwa Babuje community in Plateau State buried their dead after attacks by armed terrorists, but our media and leaders were focused on discussions about party issues and the 2027 elections,” he said. He warned that the country’s political leadership must urgently reassess its priorities. “We strategise about 2027 while Nigerians struggle to survive 2026. This is inhumane. We must elevate human life to a sacred status in our national priorities,” Obi said. He stressed that leadership should be defined by the protection of lives rather than electoral success. “Leadership is not about winning elections; it is about saving lives,” he said, adding that, “history will not remember how many strategies we perfected for 2027; it will remember whether we acted when Nigerians were dying. We must choose Nigerian lives over politics. We must put Nigerians first.”