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A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Ibrahim Abdulkarim, has drawn a sharp distinction between Peter Obi and his major opponents ahead of the 2027 presidential election, describing the former Anambra State governor as a candidate driven by service rather than the pursuit of power.
Abdulkarim, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, said Obi was offering himself to Nigerians to deliver the changes many young people believe they cannot achieve on their own.
“You look at these three candidates. What is different between the three of them? Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, they are looking for power. Mr. Peter Obi is looking for service.
“He wants to come and offer himself to change what we feel the young people, we cannot do for ourselves. That’s the bottom line. That’s what change is.
“And also what we are trying to tell people exactly to key into is that this Nigeria, this seat that I’m sitting down here and showing you here, a lot of politicians sat at this table. A lot of analysts sat at this table. A lot of people tell you, I’m sure what you are hearing on this chair is different from your conversation with them privately.
“Most of the big men in this country know the problem, know what is wrong with us. They have the solutions. Some will tell you, sure, I can’t say it.
“Some say, I can’t; we can’t do it. But what we are trying to do is that we have seen somebody who has the courage and he wants to do it. And we, the young Nigerians, we said we have to cut ourselves and get a Nigeria that we want through this man.
“Because if we support him, he’s not, we are not supporting him; we are supporting ourselves. And we are seeing that.”
Abdulkarim also spoke about what he described as social and economic divisions in northern Nigeria, arguing that entrenched inequality had contributed to a sense of exclusion among ordinary citizens.
“Let me tell you where this is coming from: the North. In the North, there is an unofficial caste system just like India. The elite and the have-nots are there, those that are struggling are there, and then some even feel so entitled that Nigeria just belongs to them. You understand?
“So what we are jumping at and what we really want to do is to liberate our people, liberate the young people, and make Nigeria to be one.”
The NDC chieftain further said he wanted a president who would be transparent, accessible and willing to regularly communicate government policies and reforms to Nigerians.
“Let me tell you, if we have a president that is going to be fair to everybody, tell us the truth, and also at least appear on your channel like this one, no matter, irrespective of who he is as a president, to come in a studio like this, or you have media people to follow him, that he can update them every day on every reform that he is taking.”
When asked whether he considered Obi better than the other presidential contenders, Abdulkarim gave an emphatic response.
“By far!”
He also suggested that the experience of the 2023 election had changed the outlook of Obi’s supporters, saying they were now more alert to the challenges involved in securing electoral victory.
“So now, you agree, you made an inference that the obedience and Peter Obi supporters, all your structure, were naive, because you never thought that you were going to be rigged. But this time around, your eyes are open.”
