The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Party (NDC), Peter Obi, has formally commenced his campaign for the 2027 presidential election, promising to tackle insecurity, poverty and unemployment if elected.

Obi launched his campaign on Friday at a press conference held at his residence in Onitsha, Anambra State, where he outlined his plans for addressing Nigeria’s economic and security challenges.

The former Anambra State governor said the country was endowed with sufficient human and material resources to overcome its difficulties but required a government focused on production, accountability and efficient use of public resources.

He listed insecurity, food shortages, internal displacement, unreliable electricity, unemployment and the rising cost of doing business among the major problems confronting Nigerians.

According to him, Nigeria must move away from an economy driven predominantly by consumption and imports and instead build its productive capacity.

“Nigeria cannot import its way to prosperity. We will produce more of what we consume, process more of what we produce, and compete more effectively in global markets,” he said.

Obi identified agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy, creative industries and services as priority sectors under his proposed administration, saying investment in these areas would expand production and create employment opportunities.

On agriculture, he promised to improve security for farmers while investing in irrigation, rural roads, storage infrastructure, access to finance and markets.

He also pledged to promote agro-processing and manufacturing as part of efforts to move Nigeria from the export of raw materials to the production of finished goods.

Obi described insecurity as a major impediment to economic development, arguing that citizens could not effectively farm, trade, travel or run businesses when their lives and property were under threat.

He said his administration would strengthen intelligence gathering and coordination among security agencies, improve policing and border management, deploy technology more extensively and support lawful community-based systems for early threat detection.

Beyond security and the economy, Obi promised reforms in education and healthcare.

He said basic education would be strengthened, universities improved and technical and vocational education expanded to equip young Nigerians with skills relevant to the labour market.

In healthcare, he pledged greater attention to maternal and child health, improved access to essential medicines and better resources for healthcare workers.

The NDC candidate further promised to introduce stronger accountability in public spending, insisting that every naira spent by government must be tied to a clearly defined purpose and measurable outcome.

He proposed a regional development strategy that would leverage the economic strengths of different parts of the country.

According to him, agriculture and agro-processing would receive greater attention in parts of the North, while manufacturing and technology would be prioritised in the South-West. He identified entrepreneurship and industry as key areas for the South-East, with oil and gas, maritime services, fisheries and agriculture highlighted for the South-South.

“Every region must produce. Every region must contribute. Every region must benefit,” Obi said.

He also challenged other presidential contenders to subject their records, credentials and policy proposals to public scrutiny rather than relying on surrogates during the campaign.

Obi urged voters to critically examine the promises of politicians and demand evidence of their capacity to deliver, while calling for an issue-based contest devoid of ethnic and religious divisions.

“Our campaign will focus on the urgent concerns of Nigerians and not on ethnicity or religion,” he said.

The former governor said his campaign would ultimately seek to unite the country, restore security, reduce poverty and hunger, improve education and healthcare, and create an economy capable of generating opportunities for citizens.

“The campaign will mark the beginning of a journey to reset Nigeria by uniting the country, securing it and placing it on the path of inclusive economic growth. A New Nigeria is possible,” he declared.