Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Mr. Peter Obi, has called on Nigerians to demand for a leadership with vision, character and commitment, and who will transform promise into progress.
Obi in a post on X, regretted that while India, the world’s largest democracy, with over 960 million registered voters, is conducting elections using technology that enables electronic transmission of results within days, and operating a voter-friendly ballot system that displays party symbols and candidate photographs, Nigeria with about 93 million registered voters, is still unable to consistently deliver free, fair, and credible elections or transmit results promptly.
Obi stated that Nigeria is rich in talent, resources, and promise, “yet we allow bad governance, greed, and selfishness to define our reality.”
He said Nigeria should be a nation where every child can dream freely, every citizen can thrive, and leadership is measured by service and vision, not manipulation and personal gain.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate noted while Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in a tweet on Monday, expressed confidence that the outcomes of the recent Artificial Intelligence summit held in the country would help shape the future for Indian children to be progressive, innovative, and opportunity-driven, Nigerian leaders are “thinking about how to rig local government elections, how to exploit and impoverish the poor, and how to use the very children we should be nurturing for the future as tools for manipulation and election malpractice.”
Obi regretted that many Nigeria political leaders, implement policies that impoverish the people and threaten the future of their children.
“If we are to transform Nigeria, we must demand leaders who put the people first, govern with integrity, and plan for a better tomorrow,” he said.
He called on Nigerians to demand for a leadership imbued with compassion, commitment, and character, a leadership, according to him, that works not just for a few, but for all, and that transforms promise into progress.
Obi urged Nigeria leaders, legislators and judiciary, to imitate their Indian counterparts who work tirelessly for the welfare of their people and the future of their children, and who do the right thing for the betterment of society, even amidst challenges.
“By contrast, Nigeria, with only one-seventh of India’s population, has about 93 million registered voters, which is less than 10% of India’s voter base.
“With fewer than 20% of the polling stations and only about 1% of the political parties compared to India, it is deeply troubling that we still struggle to conduct elections, even when we record voter turnout below 20%. Sadly Nigeria still remains..”
