Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called for national unity and a broad-based opposition coalition to rescue Nigeria from what he described as systemic decay, corruption, and poor leadership.
Speaking at a high-level political meeting in Enugu on Tuesday, Obi said Nigeria’s challenges were not due to a lack of resources or potential, but the deliberate actions of a political class that has “looted the country into poverty.”
The meeting brought together prominent political figures from across the country, including former governors Okwesili Nwodo (Enugu), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), and Emeka Ihedioha (Imo). Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Victor Umeh, Tony Nwoye, and Gilbert Nnaji were also in attendance, alongside respected public figures such as Prof. Pat Utomi, Prof. Osita Ogbu, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, and Chief Ralph Nwosu.
In a show of cross-regional solidarity, leaders from outside the South-East also participated, led by African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Chairman and former Senate President, David Mark. Others included former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, and former Edo State Governor, Senator Oserheimen Osunbor.
Addressing the gathering, Obi said Nigeria was suffering under a system that rewards mediocrity, punishes merit, and recycles failure. He argued that impunity and corruption had crippled governance, leaving citizens insecure, hungry, and disillusioned.
“We are not poor. We have been looted into poverty,” Obi said, stressing that Nigeria’s insecurity, unemployment, inflation, and illiteracy were symptoms of bad leadership rather than fate.
He warned that the country was at a crossroads, with a choice between continuing the cycle of decline or confronting entrenched corruption and what he termed “formalised criminality in governance.” Drawing from his nationwide engagements, including visits to neglected internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, Obi said despair cut across all regions of the country.
Obi reaffirmed his belief that a “New Nigeria” is possible, noting that with the right leadership, agriculture and manufacturing could become major contributors to national growth, shifting the country from consumption to production.
He called on political leaders, civil society actors, youths, the Obidient Movement, and members of opposition parties to unite under a broad coalition anchored by the ADC, describing it as a patriotic platform driven by national interest rather than personal ambition.
“Nigeria deserves leadership that unites, governs with empathy, and delivers real results,” Obi said, adding that history should record this moment as the beginning of the country’s turning point.
Concluding his remarks, Obi urged Nigerians to embrace unity, courage, and resolve, insisting that with collective action and responsible leadership, a productive, inclusive, and prosperous Nigeria can be achieved.
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