ABUJA, Nigeria — The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has strongly rebuked Nigeria’s political leadership, accusing those in power of prioritizing political maneuvering for the 2027 general elections over the pressing security and economic crises plaguing citizens.
In a scathing national address issued on Friday, June 5, 2026, Obi expressed deep concern over what he described as the dangerous normalization of mass school abductions and systemic failure across the country.
Okay News reports that Obi’s statement arrives amid heightened national tension following the recent mid-May mass kidnapping of over 30 pupils and teachers at a primary school in Yawota, Oyo State—a grim reminder that the kidnapping-for-ransom crisis has aggressively expanded into Nigeria’s southwest zone. Drawing a sharp historical parallel, the former Anambra State governor noted that while the single 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls unified the nation and commanded global intervention, subsequent waves of mass school raids have failed to ignite similar sustained outrage.
“Under President Buhari’s eight years in office, Nigeria witnessed about ten school abductions. Under President Tinubu’s administration, in just three years, we have already recorded over ten school abductions,” Obi stated, questioning whether the national conscience has become completely numb to tragedy. He strongly criticized the ruling elite for ignoring the immediate hardships of poverty and systemic insecurity to focus heavily on early campaign math and factional party realignments.
Reacting to international classifications that have labeled Nigeria a “Now Disgraced Nation,” Obi admitted that while he rejects defining the country solely by its current challenges, leadership failures have undeniably fractured Nigeria’s global standing. He urged the public to reject propaganda, official denial, and political distractions, calling directly on the nation’s youth to remain vigilant and actively resist the normalization of institutional failure. “The answer is leadership that is competent, compassionate, accountable, and genuinely committed to the welfare and security of the Nigerian people,” Obi concluded. “Young Nigerians—take back your country! A New Nigeria is possible.”
