‘Stop focusing on 2027, Nigerians are dying’, Obi chastises politicians

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has chastised politicians in Nigeria to stop focusing on the 2027 elections while Nigerians are dying daily as violence continues to wreak havoc in communities across the country.

The former Anambra State governor who made the admonition in a statement shared on his official X handle on Sunday, said it was alarming that politicians in power have been focusing on the 2027 elections while neglecting the alarming scale of insecurity in the country which has left many citizens killed, abducted, and displaced.

In the statement, Obi lamented that in the first two months of 2026 alone, over 1,000 Nigerians have reportedly been killed, with several thousands more abducted in violent attacks while elected officials at all levels are only concerned about the upcoming elections.

Describing the situation as worse than in countries officially at war, Obi said the disparity between public discourse on politics and the urgent need to address the bloodshed had gotten to a point where silence has become criminal.

“It is profoundly disturbing that while we, the politicians, continue to obsess over the 2027 elections—spending our energy scheming about how to capture, grab, and run the next election—the first two months of 2026 have reportedly seen the killing of over 1,000 Nigerians and the abduction of several thousand others,” Obi wrote.

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“This is the painful reality confronting our nation. 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.

‘In over 25 states across all geopolitical zones this year alone, there have been major violent attacks on innocent citizens, 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. We debate power sharing while citizens are sharing funeral programs. I watched in tears yesterday as families in the Doruwa Babuje community in Plateau State buried their dead after attacks by armed terrorists, but our 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.

“We must elevate human life to a sacred status in our national priorities. Leadership is not about winning elections; it is about saving lives. 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,” Obi added.

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