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Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed claims that his election as president would divide Nigeria, insisting that his leadership would instead unite the country and promote national healing.
Obi made the remarks during an interview on Sunday Politics with Seun Okinbaloye on Channels Television, where he responded to comments by former Borno Governor Ali Modu Sheriff questioning his ability to foster national unity.
Rejecting the criticism, the former Anambra State governor said his record over the years reflected a commitment to every part of the country.
“I will unite Nigeria, and I know what it takes to unite Nigeria,” Obi said.
He recalled travelling to Borno State at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency to condole with the Sheriff following the killing of his brother, describing the visit as one of several humanitarian interventions across northern Nigeria.
“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,” he said.
Obi also recounted returning to Borno after devastating floods, where he donated ₦50 million, met with the state governor and the Shehu of Borno, and visited internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.
He said similar interventions had taken him to Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi and Sokoto, where he supported victims of crises, educational institutions and healthcare projects.
“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 also funded borehole projects in several northern communities, including at the Faculty of Agriculture of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, 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,” he said.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate added that he had travelled extensively across Nigeria by road because he wanted to better understand the country’s diverse communities.
“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.
Speaking on national reconciliation, Obi said his administration would begin a process of healing the divisions that have persisted since the Nigerian Civil War.
“A Peter Obi presidency will commence the healing and the unity that is required to stabilise and build a better Nigeria,” he said.
While acknowledging Nigeria’s history, he argued that the country must not remain bound by past conflicts.
“We have a history, but we must not be trapped in it. It must not deprive us of tomorrow,” Obi said.
He said his vision was to build a nation where every Nigerian could succeed regardless of ethnicity or religion.
“I want the child of Nigeria to be able to grow up in Nigeria, go to school, and live his life without thinking about his tribe, without thinking about yesterday, without thinking about his religion, but as a Nigerian, proud of it,” he added.
Obi also dismissed allegations that he had made derogatory remarks about northerners, describing the claims as false.
“That’s a lie. It never happened,” he said.
To support his position, he noted that his aides and associates had included many northerners and Muslims, including his aide-de-camp from Kano, while all his cooks during his eight years as governor of Anambra State were from northern Nigeria.
He also said his administration sponsored Muslims in Anambra State on annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and that he currently supports Almajiri schools in Kano and Bauchi, as well as a School of Nursing in Bauchi.
Obi urged Nigerians to focus political discourse on addressing the country’s pressing challenges rather than personalities.
“Instead of us discussing the problems of the country, people come before you to discuss Peter Obi,” he said.
He maintained that poverty, insecurity, education and healthcare should remain the central issues ahead of the 2027 general election, reiterating his commitment to building a united and prosperous Nigeria.
