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By Precious Akudo Onwukwe
As presidential campaigns for 2027 general elections gain momentum, candidates across Nigeria’s political spectrum are once again presenting competing visions for the country’s future. Yet beyond the speeches, slogans and declarations, Nigerians face a more fundamental question: what kind of leadership can translate public policy into measurable improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens.
At the heart of this question is a choice between two contrasting philosophies of governance, one defined by policy execution without sufficient accountability, and another built around transparency, fiscal discipline and a demonstrable record of public stewardship. To understand where Nigeria stands today, one needs to examine everyday reality confronting its citizens. The rising cost of living has transformed basic survival into an exhausting daily struggle. Food, transportation, housing and other essentials have become increasingly difficult for ordinary families to afford.
While difficult economic reforms may sometimes be unavoidable, a policy ultimately deserves to be judged by its consequences and by whether the benefits of reforms reach the people who bear the brunt of the economic policies. I find it interesting reading Nigeria’s Afrobeat star David Adeleke fondly called Davido, challenging Nigerian politicians to be like Peter Obi, and to publicly tell Nigerians how they became wealthy as Obi has done.
As a Nigerian student studying in Ghana, more than before, I am keenly following the election campaigns. I have not seen my President Bola Tinubu talk. I understand he’s holidaying in Europe, and my fellow students are asking me, Precious, where is your president who is seeking to be reelected? It pains being in another country that Nigeria once helped making jest of Nigerians about the kind of political leaders we have. How does President Tinubu feel in another country when other presidential candidates are already out there, telling Nigerians why they should vote for them. Among the candidates, the blueprint of Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) appeals to me more. Not that his blueprint will solve all problems facing the country, but looking closely areas of focus, it provides a hands-on solution to getting key problems – economic, social, security and other challenges solved.
That’s why Obi has become the main subject of attacks. Perhaps the worst is coming from Gov. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, who seems to be working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the re-election bid of President Tinubu. It’s his right, but he shouldn’t run down another presidential candidate on false allegations. Here’s a key point of what Obi said when he kicked off his campaign last month: “I enter this contest with one conviction: Nigeria can work, and must work”. I completely agree with him that “Nigeria faces several serious challenges, some of them of existential proportion.
I am inclined to believe that Obi-Kwankwaso ticket offers Nigeria a better leadership that brings different but complementary governing experience.
I am also aware of a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which Mr. Obi referred to, which shows that 63% or 140 million Nigerians live at or below poverty line.
Humanitarian agencies estimate that 35 million will need food assistance during the 2026 lean season, which is already in Nigeria. I just came back to school in Ghana after spending two months of holiday in Nigeria for my clinicals at a Military hospital in Yaba, Lagos. It was not easy coping with cost of living crisis in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s poverty paradox is glaring. Only few people can afford essential items. Not many can afford to buy drugs. I witnessed that first hand during my clinicals. I saw patients passed away because they couldn’t buy basic drugs prescribed for them by doctors. I agree with Obi that leadership is Nigeria’s main problem. I followed his recent meeting with young Nigerian professionals in Washington DC, USA. After watching him, and how he answered questions from the audience, I came to the conclusion just as he did, that what Nigeria has been lacking “for far too long is leadership that genuinely puts the people first and treats public resources as a trust”.
In attendance at the Washington DC meeting was a stardust of medical doctors, educators, lawyers, engineers, technology experts, entrepreneurs and business leaders. No doubt, Nigeria does not lack intelligent, hardworking and innovative young people or natural resources. What the country lacks is selfless leaders who can inspire the people to meet their God-given potential. Look at Ghana and Rwanda that are not as endowed as Nigeria in both human and natural resources, I am amazed at how their leaders are motivating their citizens.
Leadership must deliver results that should reflect on the living conditions of the people. It must inspire the people towards meeting their expectations and drive the country to greater heights. That’s the kind of leadership Nigeria needs in 2027. My take is that Peter Obi meets the qualities of that kind of leader Nigeria desires. The present leadership in Nigeria cares only for themselves, their families and business associates. No more. Consider the removal of the fuel subsidy. Across political divide, the subsidy system was widely criticised for inefficiency, abuse and corruption. Its removal by President Tinubu on May 29, 2023 was presented as a necessary step toward reforming Nigeria’s corrupt system. But the central issue is no longer simply whether the subsidy should have been removed. The more important question is: what happened to the resources supposedly freed by its removal, about N15.8trn in savings in three years?
This represents roughly 30 per cent of the 2026 national budget. If public revenues and savings increase by trillions of naira while citizens experience deepening economic hardship, Nigerians are entitled to demand a clear account of how those resources have been managed. Where has the money gone? That question goes beyond political rhetoric. It goes to the heart of responsible governance.
Economic reform cannot be evaluated solely by the policy announced in Abuja. It must also be evaluated by the transparency of its implementation, the management of the resources it generates, and the tangible improvements it produces in citizens’ lives. Again, that to me is why Obi’s record matters.
It is against this backdrop that his political record deserves serious consideration. Obi’s eight-year tenure as Governor of Anambra State provides an important case study in fiscal prudence, accountability and public-sector management. His approach was heavily no influenced by the discipline of the private sector: reducing waste, prioritising investment and treating public resources as resources held in trust for citizens.
I disagree with Gov. Soludo that Obi’s administration left behind billions of debt, which the Soludo administration claims it’s still repaying, according to the Commissioner of Finance, Izuchukwu Okafor. Obi has denied it, provided evidence to debunk the claims. I consider Soludo’s claims as a distraction to Obi’s presidential campaign. It’s a shot below the belt. Obi’s record in Anambra provides a practical basis for assessing his philosophy of governance.
During his tenure, Anambra’s performance in national examinations improved so much, with the state rising from 26th position to first nationally in WAEC and NECO examinations.
Contrary to Soludo’s claims, Obi’s approach to public finance is perhaps the most frequently cited aspect of his tenure as Governor. It’s on record that he left office without unpaid salaries, pensions or contractor debts and handed over more than $150 million and billions of naira in savings to his successor.
His administration also established what was described as the first Sub-Sovereign Wealth Fund in Sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting an emphasis on saving public resources for future development rather than exhausting them in the present.
Obi’s broader economic blueprint for Nigeria is built around moving the country from a consumption-driven to production. His transition from business into public service therefore presents a distinctive political narrative, a leader entering government after establishing a significant private sector career and subsequently attempting to apply financial discipline to public administration. The choice before Nigerians on Election Day should not be reduced to personality, ethnicity, party loyalty or political slogans.
The real question should be: what kind of government do we want, and what evidence do we have that a candidate can deliver it? Nigeria needs leadership capable of explaining where public money goes, why policies are adopted, how their costs are managed and what measurable benefits citizens should expect. The country needs a president who sees public revenue as a trust, not an entitlement; infrastructure as an investment, not a political trophy; education as the foundation of national productivity, and businesses as engines of employment and economic growth. The challenge before Nigerian voters is therefore not simply to ask who promises the most. It is to ask who has demonstrated the discipline to turn public resources into public value.
• Precious Onwukwe writes from Christian Service University, Kumasi, Ghana.
