Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his reported stay abroad, saying a Nigerian president should remain connected to the challenges facing citizens at home.
Obi made the remarks on Thursday while commissioning the NDC campaign headquarters in Asaba, Delta State, where he said that, if elected president in the 2027 presidential election, he would spend his holidays within Nigeria rather than travel abroad.
He specifically mentioned Agbor in Ika South Local Government Area and Warri as places where he would spend his vacations.
“Today our president is in France. He went for three weeks holiday, he has stayed more than three weeks. He is in France when people are dying in Nigeria. He is in France when people are being kidnapped in Nigeria,” Obi said.
He added: “I’ve said it that as president of Nigeria, all my holidays will be in Nigeria. I will go to Agbor for holiday. I will go to Warri for holiday, not France.”
Obi also promised to overhaul Nigeria’s healthcare system, saying government officials should seek medical treatment within the country except in cases where specialist treatment is unavailable and a referral abroad becomes necessary.
“Anybody that will go abroad will be on referrals. Not when you have headache you go abroad. We will fix our hospitals here. We will make them work,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor further said his administration would seek to ensure that existing health institutions across the country are upgraded and fully utilised to provide quality healthcare to Nigerians.
Speaking on the Niger Delta, Obi said the region must begin to experience tangible benefits from the wealth generated from its natural resources.
“We are people who believe in change. One thing I can assure Niger Delta is that the days when you do not see the impact of your wealth is gone. Niger Delta must see the impact of the wealth it is creating for the nation,” he said.
He also criticised the condition of major roads in the region, particularly the East-West Road, arguing that the infrastructure deficit was inconsistent with the region’s contribution to Nigeria’s economy.
“We cannot drive on East-West Road. We cannot even pass Asaba. Yet it is Niger Delta that is producing the wealth we share every month. This has to end,” Obi said.
Obi was accompanied to the commissioning by the NDC Delta State governorship candidate, Chris Iyovwaye; Delta North senatorial candidate, Victor Ochei; Delta Central senatorial candidate, Ovie Omo-Agege; and other candidates of the party.
The commissioning attracted a large crowd of party supporters and residents from across Delta State, many of whom waited for hours for Obi’s arrival.
With the campaign headquarters now commissioned, the NDC is expected to commence intensified campaign activities in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Iyovwaye expected to play a central role in the party’s Delta State campaign.
