Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the NDC, has expressed solidarity with Seyi Makinde, the presidential candidate of the APM, saying Nigeria needs unity and inclusion to overcome its mounting challenges.
Obi made the remarks at the inauguration of Makinde’s presidential campaign, where he described his fellow presidential contender as qualified to lead the country and called for a departure from divisive politics.
Obi endorses Makinde’s qualification
Addressing supporters at the event, Obi said his presence was not driven by political desperation but by a desire to allow Nigerians freely choose their preferred leader.
He said Makinde was qualified to contest for the presidency, stressing that political leaders should focus on rebuilding the country rather than engaging in unnecessary quarrels.
“We have a candidate, who is contesting for president today, my dear brother, Seyi Makinde. Number one is, is he qualified to be president? Yes. He’s qualified. Yes. Yes.”
Obi said Nigerians were facing severe economic and social difficulties, including poverty, hunger and poor healthcare, insisting that the country’s current trajectory could not continue.
Calls for credible elections
The former presidential candidate said whoever emerges victorious through a free, fair and credible election should receive collective support to rescue Nigeria from further decline.
He emphasised that political competition should not create hostility among leaders, but should instead inspire them to compete over ideas and policies that improve citizens’ lives.
“What we are doing today is to show you, for us, it’s not about desperation. We want the people of Nigeria to make their choice. We choose people who come together to build a new Nigeria.”
“We cannot continue the way we are doing today. Our people are hungry. Our people are poor. Our people are ill. Whoever wins, genuinely, from a free, fair, credible election, all of us want to work together to save this country from collapse.”
Obi added that his attendance at Makinde’s campaign inauguration demonstrated his belief in a new political culture based on cooperation and national interest.
‘A child of nobody can be somebody’
The NDC candidate further called for an end to politics centred on personal disagreements, urging political leaders to concentrate on solving poverty and creating opportunities for ordinary Nigerians.
“We don’t want policies of quarrel, policies of disagreement. Let our quarrel be to feed our people.”
He concluded by advocating a Nigeria where opportunities are available to everyone, regardless of their family background or political connections.
“We want a Nigeria where a child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody. That’s what we want.”
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We have a candidate who is contesting for president, my dear brother Makinde. Is he qualified to be president? Yes, he is qualified.
— Presidential candidate of the NDC, Peter Obi at the inauguration of the presidential campaign of the APM candidate, Seyi Makinde.…
— YabaLeftOnline (@yabaleftonline) September 7, 2026
