2027: Peter Obi Completes INEC Nomination Form, Raises Fresh Questions

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has revealed that he has completed his nomination form for submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Naija News reports that Obi made the revelation in a statement on Tuesday, in which he questioned the priorities of Nigeria’s political leaders.

According to him, the question arose from a question on the form that asked whether he had ever been adjudged a lunatic or been declared a person of unsound mind.

Obi, however, posited that the priority from any sound-minded leadership would be how to curb the growing insecurities in the country.

He added that sound-minded leadership would have declared these existential challenges a national emergency and immediately mobilised all relevant institutions, security agencies, experts, community leaders, and other critical stakeholders to confront them with urgency.

He wrote, “What Truly Should Be Our Priority Now as Leaders of a Nation?

“This question has become necessary, given where we are today as a nation and where we are supposed to be.

“While completing my INEC nomination form yesterday, Section E, Question 1 caught my attention. It asks: “Have you ever been adjudged a lunatic or been declared a person of unsound mind?” The answer is either Yes or No. That question got me thinking: Can we, as the political leaders of today’s Nigeria, truly say we are exhibiting the characteristics of a sound mind?

“When Nigerians, including children and security personnel, are being abducted into the bushes, citizens cannot travel safely on our highways, several million Nigerians are uncertain where their next meal will come from, and several billions are being siphoned frivolously through non-existent agencies and projects, should politics really be our primary preoccupation?

“A sound-minded leadership would have declared these existential challenges a national emergency and immediately mobilised all relevant institutions, security agencies, experts, community leaders, and other critical stakeholders to confront them with urgency and resolve. At a moment like this, the survival, security, and stability of Nigeria must take precedence over every other consideration. This is a time for decisive action, not political calculation or the pursuit of partisan advantage.”

Based on another question from the form, the former Governor of Anambra State also charged INEC to ensure transparency and due process by publishing the academic certificates and credentials submitted by every candidate seeking elective office.

He concluded that it should no longer be politics as usual in Nigeria, but the country should aim at achieving leadership defined by competence, character, capacity, compassion, and commitment to service.

“Further in the same Section E, Question 6, was: “Have you ever presented a forged certificate to INEC?” Again, the answer is either Yes or No. This raises another important question: Why shouldn’t INEC, in the interest of ensuring that our leaders are exemplary in following the rules and to strengthen public confidence in our electoral process, publish the academic certificates and credentials submitted by every candidate seeking elective office?

“Transparency strengthens democracy and builds public trust. Nigeria’s problems are too serious for politics as usual. It is time for leadership defined by competence, character, capacity, compassion, and commitment to service,” Obi submitted.