The Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, has declared that he will no longer respond to attacks, allegations or provocations coming from political surrogates of presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 general election.
Obi, through a statement issued on Monday by the spokesperson of the Peter Obi Media Office, Idris Zekeri Jnr., said the former Anambra State governor would henceforth engage only with individuals whose names would appear on the presidential ballot and not with proxies acting on their behalf.
According to the statement, presidential elections are contests between candidates seeking the mandate of Nigerians and not between candidates and hired defenders.
The media office stated that Obi was prepared to defend his record and present his policies directly to Nigerians, urging other presidential hopefuls to do the same.
It challenged presidential aspirants allegedly hiding behind surrogates to step forward, defend their records, explain their policies and participate in open debates on issues affecting the country.
The statement further argued that the practice of deploying surrogates to make accusations and distort facts while candidates remain detached from the consequences does not serve the interests of Nigerians.
“Mr. Peter Obi will not partake in that spectacle. From now on, surrogates are not our constituency of response. Candidates are. If a presidential candidate has an issue with Mr. Obi, let that candidate speak directly,” the statement read.
The media office maintained that the 2027 presidential election would be decided by Nigerians and not by what it described as “the loudest surrogate,” adding that Obi remained focused on addressing the country’s leadership challenges and communicating his vision directly to citizens.
The declaration comes amid growing political exchanges ahead of the 2027 election and follows recent controversies surrounding Obi’s academic records.
A former Labour Party (LP) chieftain, Mr. Abayomi Arabambi, had approached a Federal High Court seeking an order compelling the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), to release details of Obi’s academic records, including his admission documents and degree results.
Arabambi, who was once a prominent member of the Labour Party, had argued that the request was in the public interest, given Obi’s status as a presidential contender.
The legal action generated widespread political debate, with supporters of Obi dismissing it as a politically motivated attempt to distract the former governor from his campaign activities.
The controversy over Obi’s educational credentials has since become one of several issues being raised by political opponents and commentators as the race for the 2027 presidential election gradually gathers momentum.
Despite the criticisms, Obi’s media office insisted that the former governor would remain focused on presenting his policy alternatives to Nigerians rather than engaging in exchanges with political surrogates.
The statement concluded that Obi would continue to listen to Nigerians, address their concerns and campaign on issues of governance, accountability and national development, stressing that “a New Nigeria is Possible, but certainly not with surrogates.”
