PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has declared that Northern Nigeria holds the key to solving the nation’s deepest challenges, calling on leaders from the region to take bold steps toward driving national transformation.
Speaking at a strategic meeting with Northern political stakeholders under the National Political Consultative Group, Obi described the North not as a problem, but as “Nigeria’s greatest untapped asset.”
These were contained in a statement that was signed by the spokesperson of Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), Ibrahim Umar, and made available to The Guardian on Sunday evening.
Addressing a distinguished audience that included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Obi said that the region’s struggle with insecurity and rising criminality is not rooted in culture or religion, but in deep, systemic poverty.
“You cannot fight poverty without education. And you cannot fight insecurity without addressing hunger and hopelessness,” Obi stated. “The North has voted for religion and tribe in the past. Now is the time to vote for competence, character, and a shared national vision.”
Recalling his days as a banker, Obi spoke with nostalgia about the economic strength of Kano, once a bustling industrial and financial powerhouse.
“Kano used to be where we went for cash flow. Today, its industries are silent, and its youth are unemployed. This decline is not destiny—it’s the result of poor leadership and lost priorities,” he said.
Obi urged Northern leaders to look beyond politics-as-usual and embrace a bold new agenda centred on education, agriculture, and enterprise, noting that countries like Bangladesh and the Netherlands, with fewer resources than Northern Nigeria, have achieved food security and economic prosperity through good governance and smart policies.
“We have more land, more people, and more potential than many agrarian nations. What we lack is leadership with vision, empathy, and courage,” Obi asserted.
In his keynote address, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, echoed Obi’s sentiments.
He lamented the deteriorating security architecture in the North and emphasised the urgency of building a unified platform to rescue the region from decline.
“The time for talk is over. It’s time for action. The North must rise—not just for itself, but for the future of Nigeria,” Malami concluded.
The gathering ended with a renewed commitment from stakeholders to work together toward a pan-Nigerian coalition built on trust, competence, and common purpose.