The Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential flag bearer, Peter Obi, has dismissed suggestions that his emergence as president would deepen Nigeria’s divisions, insisting that his track record proves he can unite the country.
Obi made the remarks during an appearance on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, where he responded to comments by former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, who questioned his capacity to foster national unity.
He said his years of engagement across the country demonstrated a commitment to national cohesion rather than division.
“I will unite Nigeria, and I know what it takes to unite Nigeria,” he said. Punch
He argued that his record of humanitarian interventions and visits to different parts of the country spoke louder than political accusations.
Recalling the early days of the Boko Haram insurgency, Obi said he travelled to Borno State to sympathise with Sheriff after the former governor lost his brother to the violence.
“At the onset of this Boko Haram issue… his own brother was killed. I travelled to Borno State to console him. When people didn’t want to go there, I went to Borno State.”
Obi also recounted returning to Borno after severe flooding, where he donated ₦50 million, met with the state governor and the Shehu of Borno, and visited internally displaced persons camps.
He said similar humanitarian efforts had taken him to several northern states, including Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi and Sokoto.
“I’ve been to the most troubled parts of the North… I’ve been to Benue up to four times, visiting the various affected communities… I’ve spent Christmas and New Year in IDP camps,” he said.
According to Obi, he has also funded borehole projects in several northern communities and supported educational and healthcare institutions, including agricultural initiatives at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto.
“I’ve built boreholes in Gombe, in Kaduna, in every part of the North. When the University of Sokoto Agricultural Faculty said all they need is a borehole for their farm, I did it,” Obi said.
The former governor added that he had travelled extensively across the country, particularly by road, to understand the needs of Nigerians better.
“There’s no politician today in Nigeria… that has been able to travel places that I have been by road… because I want the country to be together, and I understand the people,” he said.
