Obi Vows To Tackle Corruption

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pledged to fulfil his promise to tackle corruption if elected president in 2027.

Obi made the commitment in an interview with the BBC African Service, where he said former President Muhammadu Buhari was unable to deliver on his anti-corruption promises because he was not fully in charge of his administration.

“He was not in charge. The difference is this: I will be in charge,” Obi said.

The former Anambra State governor said his approach to fighting corruption would begin with himself and his family, arguing that leaders must first ensure they are not involved in corrupt practices.

“If you are not stealing, if you are not involved, your wife and family are not involved, you reduce it by 50 percent,” he said.

On the 2027 election, Obi urged opposition parties to focus on expanding voter participation rather than insisting that one candidate step down for another.

He said the opposition should concentrate on mobilising millions of additional voters instead of negotiating which candidate should withdraw from the race.

On fuel subsidy, Obi said his position has remained unchanged, arguing that corruption, rather than the subsidy itself, was the major problem with the policy.

“I have not changed on fuel subsidy. What has changed is that whenever I talk about methodology, people say, ‘Oh, he has changed.’ From day one that I talked about subsidy, I talked about corruption,” he said.

Asked whether he would restore the subsidy if elected, Obi answered in the affirmative, saying he would seek to eliminate the corruption associated with the scheme while retaining the subsidy.