Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Peter Obi, said leadership is not about winning elections but about saving lives.
Obi in a post on X on Sunday, described as disturbing that while politicians are obsessed over next year’s general elections, little or no concerned was shown to the state of insecurity in the country.
He disclosed that over 1,000 Nigerians were reportedly killed and several others abducted in the first two months of this year.
“This is the painful reality confronting our nation,” he stated, noting that from Zamfara State to Kwara, Ondo, Kebbi, Edo, Benue, Adamawa, Plateau, and many other states, families have buried loved ones, and communities have been emptied by gunshots and fear.
According to him, over 25 states across all geopolitical zones have witnessed major violent attacks on innocent citizens this year, including kidnappings by armed bandits, mass shootings, village invasions, and brazen assaults on worshippers and travellers.
“The scale of bloodshed and the number of deaths in just two months in Nigeria are even worse than what we see in countries officially at war.
“Yet the urgency with which we discuss these tragedies does not match the urgency of our discussions surrounding zoning formulas, party structures, and campaign strategies. This is the tragedy of our politics,” Obi regretted.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate stated that as politicians debate power sharing “citizens are sharing funeral programmes,” noting that as families in the Doruwa Babuje community in Plateau State buried their dead after attacks by armed terrorists, the media and leaders were focused on discussions about party issues and the 2027 elections, “when we aren’t even sure we will be alive to see it, given all the deaths happening in our country today.
“We strategise about 2027 while Nigerians struggle to survive 2026. This is inhumane.”
He advised that Nigeria should elevate human life to a sacred status in national discuss.
“We can, and we must, aspire to a Nigeria devoid of bloodshed—a Nigeria where governance is measured not by political dominance but by the safety and dignity of its people.
“History will not remember how many strategies we perfected for 2027; it will remember whether we acted when Nigerians were dying.
“We must choose Nigerian lives over politics. We must put Nigerians first. A new Nigeria is possible,” he added.
