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Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has reaffirmed her support for former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election, saying her position is based on his character, competence and capacity.
Ezekwesili stated this in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, while discussing Nigeria’s political future, democratic development and the need for institutional reforms.
The former minister said her support for Obi was not driven by ethnic, religious or other primordial considerations, but by the leadership criteria she believes should determine voters’ choices.
She recalled backing Obi during the 2023 presidential election after assessing the leading candidates based on their ability to provide effective leadership.
“In 2023, I made it very clear that, using the criteria on which I see leadership either fail or succeed to govern well… the other two candidates score considerably lower than what you would assign to former Governor Obi, and so I was going to stand with Governor Obi,” she said.
Ezekwesili added that her assessment had not significantly changed.
“I don’t think that anything has really significantly changed,” she said.
However, she cautioned Nigerians against making the 2027 political debate solely about Obi or any other individual, arguing that the country’s challenges require broader institutional and political reforms.
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“Don’t make this about Peter Obi. I don’t want us to personalise. I’m interested in the construct,” she said.
The former minister urged Nigerians to assess candidates seeking elective offices at all levels based on character, competence and capacity, rather than ethnicity, religion or other considerations.
She also called for more credible Nigerians with those qualities to contest legislative and executive positions at the local, state and federal levels.
According to Ezekwesili, Nigeria’s long-standing challenges cannot be resolved simply by changing political personalities during elections.
She argued that the country needs to redesign its political and institutional structures, establish a stronger social contract and develop shared national values capable of promoting accountability and good governance.
Ezekwesili also urged Nigerians to reject the belief that the country’s decline is inevitable, describing the situation as a product of a national design that must be challenged.
“The greatest tragedy of the country is this resignation—that this is our destiny. I say no, this is by design. This design needs to be challenged,” she said.
