The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has drawn mixed reactions on social media after pledging to shun foreign trips if elected president in 2027.
Mr Obi spoke during the presentation of certificates of return to him and his running mate, Musa Kwankwaso, by the party.
He stated, “This election will be run on ideas. If you have competence to serve, you come and campaign. You have the energy to serve,you come and campaign.
According to him, Nigerians can no longer afford to elect leaders who are unavailable to govern the country.
He added that a Nigerian president must be accessible at all times and tour the country regularly.
“Today, President Tinubu has never been to Bayelsa and slept. He has never been to Anambra State and slept there. He has never been to Enugu and slept there.
“When I was governor, Obasanjo slept in my state despite being a president for four days. Where has he been? He is taking holidays in France,” Mr Obi said.
The NDC presidential candidate vowed to spend his holidays in Nigeria, adding that he would visit troubled states including Plateau, Benue, Zamfara and Sokoto states.
“It’s a good place. We must confront that trouble. And those who think they can treat the country, terrorise the country, wait, we are coming. It will be a different thing. We have a country to deal with. We will ensure that we drive down the cost of living in Nigeria,” he stressed.
The NDC presidential candidate urged his supporters to campaign for his candidacy, promising to build a society where a child from an ordinary background could become somebody without needing personal connections.
His comments however drew reactions from netizens who wondered how a President would reduce governance to sleeping over in states, while others welcomed the idea as sacrificial.
An Instagram user, abdulmajeed.dolapo, described Mr Obi as “Online President.”
Another commenter, Mid_night109 wrote, “You want to win. See your campaign. Nawa o. Online people go vote.”
Also, Gosmoney, questioned the need for a president to move around the country to monitor issues that could be handled by other levels of government.
“So to be president na to dey moving all over the state of Nigeria na him go dey check if drainage don full abi if dem dey do road wey local government suppose do right?,” he stated.
Another Instagram user, djshizzleafrica, criticised Mr Obi’s record and campaign promises, noting, “a presidential candidate with no manifesto, dey deceive people dey go, Anambra wey you turn to Dubai, You never fit reside in there but the Lagos you always down talk, na there you dey stay…January is around the corner, we shall see..”
However, mayowa_familade urged Nigerians to listen carefully to Mr Obi’s message, arguing that his pledge was about responding to security incidents rather than against killings.
“Always be a good listener. He is not campaigning on stopping the k!llings but going there once there are killings. This is to tell you Nigerians are on a long ride.
“Ter*prism has come to stay with us and it will be for a very long time. Well you will sleep tire because by the time you win. Be ready to see ki*lings,” he wrote.
An X user, Okafor Christian,(@Obinnachris31) posted the clip on his handle and wrote a caption, “Tinubu must go home he has no option says Peter Obi.”
Also, Oluwatigbemiga Asiwaju Mourinh… (@Rouphages) wrote, “This guy is just too empty. How is all these nonsense going to help our economy or industrialization of the country. All he said is “I will I will” nothing like team work. Can you be everywhere? Can you do it alone?”
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