Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, pledged at a Bayelsa rally that, should he win the 2027 election, he will personally lead operations into forested areas to rescue kidnapping victims and restore nationwide security.
Obi told the assembled supporters that his first priority would be to unite the country and ensure that no state or community feels 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 declared.
He highlighted his recent road trips across several states as proof of the urgent need to safeguard highways. “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 the incumbent president, Bola Tinubu, for not visiting Bayelsa despite the state’s contribution to the nation’s oil revenue. He questioned the president’s frequent overseas trips, arguing that more attention should be given to Nigerians at home.
“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 asserted. “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 security, Obi promised that an NDC‑led government would take decisive action against kidnappers, especially those targeting schoolchildren and other vulnerable citizens. “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.
He further pledged to combat corruption by managing public funds transparently and directing them toward citizens’ benefit. “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.
In education, Obi said his administration would work with state governments to make basic primary education free for all children. “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,” he affirmed.
Regarding electricity, he set a target of producing, transmitting and distributing at least 10,000 megawatts, contrasting it with the current 4,000 megawatts under the ruling party. “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 explained.