Cornelius-Mario Cyprian

EBONYI STATE: SECURITY, CORRUPTION, NATIONAL UNITY AND THE DIGNITY OF EVERY NIGERIAN My grassroots sensitisation tour brought me to Ebonyi, the Salt State, today, 29th October 2026, following yesterday’s visit to Akwanga, Nasarawa State, as our nationwide Town Hall Series continues. In Ebonyi, I made a stop at Nkalagu and Ezillo to greet and acknowledge our supporters and briefly visited the market in Ezillo, where I interacted with our hardworking women who trade and bring farm produce to market. In Abakaliki, I joined our party supporters on a road walk to the venue of our town hall meeting. At the town hall, participants raised concerns about insecurity, particularly kidnapping and banditry; corruption; government borrowing; and the deteriorating condition of our hospitals, schools, and other essential amenities. The most touching contribution came from a participant representing persons living with disabilities, who spoke about the challenges they face and the apparent lack of adequate support from government and society. I assured the participants that, upon election, our foremost priorities will be to unite the country, decisively tackle insecurity and confront corruption, while pulling our people out of poverty. To our brothers and sisters living with disabilities, I reiterated that the compassion of a nation is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. We will work with state governments to ensure their inclusion, proper care and dignity. We will also invest massively in education and healthcare, including at least one fully functional primary healthcare centre in every political ward across Nigeria, while working to reduce the cost of living and expand opportunities for all. I sincerely thank the participants, our party members, the organisers and the good people of Ebonyi State for their warm reception, enthusiasm and active participation. A New Nigeria is POssible, and Nigeria will be OK! -PO

NASARAWA STATE: SECURITY, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE AND LIFTING OUR PEOPLE OUT OF POVERTY Following yesterday’s visit to Kogi State, I proceeded to Akwanga, Nasarawa State, today, 28 October 2026, to continue our series of town hall meetings across Nigeria. These engagements provide an opportunity to interact directly with our people, listen to their concerns, and understand their expectations for a better Nigeria. In Akwanga, I granted an interview to a local radio station, where we discussed critical national issues, particularly insecurity, the economy, and the urgent need to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty. I was subsequently joined by my dear elder brother and the NDC Vice Presidential Candidate, His Excellency, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, for the town hall meeting. Participants raised important questions and shared their concerns about insecurity, particularly the challenges women face in accessing their farms; support for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups; fuel subsidy; corruption; the present government’s excessive borrowing; the deteriorating state of our schools; and other challenges affecting their daily lives. In my response, I assured the participants that our first priority, upon election, would be to unite the country, decisively tackle corruption, and confront the insecurity ravaging communities across Nigeria. I also reaffirmed our shared commitment to massive investment in education and healthcare, including the provision of at least one fully functional primary healthcare centre in every political ward across the country. Our goal is to reduce the cost of living, expand opportunities, and lift Nigerians out of poverty. I sincerely thank all participants, our party members, the organisers, and the good people of Nasarawa State for their warm reception, thoughtful contributions, and active participation. A New Nigeria is POssible, and Nigeria will be OK! -PO

KOGI STATE: HISTORY, GOVERNANCE AND THE CHALLENGE OF BUILDING A NEW NIGERIA After participating in the inauguration of the Presidential Campaign Council of our party, the NDC, yesterday, I travelled to Kogi State today, 27th October 2026, as part of my ongoing series of town hall meetings across the country. In Lokoja, I paid a courtesy visit to the Maigari of Lokoja, His Royal Highness Dr. Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Kabir Maikarfi IV. I sincerely thank His Royal Highness for receiving us at such short notice. I informed him of our town hall meeting in Lokoja, after which he graciously took time to share with us some of the history of the city. He told us about the historic Holy Trinity Primary School, which was established in 1865 by the Most Reverend Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther and missionaries of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion. It is regarded as the oldest primary school in Northern Nigeria. He also told us about the historic 'Iron of Liberty' monument. Visiting these historic sites was both enlightening and sobering. The Holy Trinity Primary School reminded me that, 161 years after its establishment, Nigeria still has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. It is concerning that we have not done enough to preserve these legacies or build on the foundations laid by those who came before us. At the 'Iron of Liberty,' I was reminded of the historic collaboration between missionaries and the authorities in the struggle to end the slave trade in Nigeria. My visits to these sites reinforce my comments yesterday about spending all my holidays as President in Nigeria. They also highlight the abundant tourism potential of Kogi State and Nigeria as a whole. From these historic sites, I proceeded to our town hall meeting, organised by our party and candidates, where we had a lengthy and engaging conversation about the contemporary challenges facing our country. During the interaction, we discussed several issues affecting our nation, including corruption, agriculture, tourism in Kogi State, the moribund Ajaokuta Steel Company and other important matters. My response was to reiterate our position that endemic, entrenched and institutional corruption remains at the core of many of the challenges confronting Nigeria today and must be decisively addressed. I reiterated my commitment to uniting and securing our country around a common purpose: investing in health and education, strengthening our productive capacity and pulling our people out of pervasive poverty. I concluded my visit by consoling a business owner whose complex was recently gutted by fire. I also visited traders at Kpata Market, where I interacted with them and received first-hand information about the prevailing economic situation, including the rising cost of goods. The traders complained of low patronage due to reduced disposable income among consumers. I thank the large crowd that attended the event for their warm reception and the fruitful interaction we had. My sincere gratitude goes to the organisers of our town hall meeting in Lokoja, our candidates, and all our party members and participants. A New Nigeria is Possible, and Nigeria will be OK. -PO

A NEW AND PRODUCTIVE NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE, AND NIGERIA WILL BE OK Yesterday, 26th of October, our Party, the NDC Campaign council was inaugurated in Abuja. As part of my remarks, I told Nigerians how our richly endowed nation, the giant of Africa, is now the world’s poverty capital. Regrettably, over 140 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor, representing more than 60% of the population. Corruption remains widespread, while insecurity affects every part of our country. Unemployment and inequality are at record levels, and Nigerians face severe and avoidable hardship. Even with the removal of the fuel subsidy and reckless borrowing, with a debt of over ₦165 trillion, there has been little or no corresponding increase in productivity. In the last three years, President Tinubu has foisted on Nigeria a reign of corruption and duplicity, resulting in extreme poverty. Today, President Tinubu has made history as the leader who has created the largest number of poor people in the world. This year, he has made about 16 million Nigerians extremely poor. Just last Saturday, President Tinubu, while launching his re-election campaign in Kaduna, blamed past and opposition leaders for the hunger and poverty that have ravaged Nigerians. What is clear is that President Tinubu does not have the competence, the capacity, the character, compassion or the commitment to solve the problems he created. He lacks the energy and the resolve to get Nigeria out of the current worsening crisis. Under President Tinubu, despite his promise to fix electricity, Nigeria now has the lowest consumption of electricity. Without reliable power, businesses cannot expand efficiently, hospitals cannot provide dependable services, schools struggle to operate effectively, and households face additional financial burdens. We will pursue an electricity reform programme focused on reliability, affordability, investment, and accountability. We will work with relevant federal and state institutions, regulators, operators, and investors to address the weaknesses affecting generation, transmission, and distribution. Under President Tinubu, Nigeria is more divided than ever, more terrorised than ever and more insecure than ever. Under President Tinubu, Nigeria has fallen into a crisis of values, such that our budgets are no longer credible and our laws are forged. Nothing is sacred. Nothing is spared from degradation, not budgets, not laws, not institutions. From our engagements with Nigerians across the country and all segments of society, the message is clear: Nigerians want and deserve a better, more productive nation, one in which good governance is visible, firmly established, effectively practised and embraced as part of our national culture. I, Peter Obi, with my very dear elder brother, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, implore and beckon all of you, committed members of our great party, the NDC, and all Nigerians, to join us in this crusade of rebuilding our dear and most endowed nation, Nigeria. Today, we begin a renewed journey towards a New Nigeria, united by shared purpose, founded on fairness, justice and equity, and committed to productivity, inclusion and development. We envision a nation where government prioritises the security and welfare of its people, good governance prevails, and public officials remain accountable. It will be a law-abiding society of healthy, skilled and educated citizens, where every child attends school and learns to read and write. No Nigerian should live in a displaced-persons camp, and corruption must no longer weaken our institutions or the fabric of our nation. A New Nigeria is our vision. A New Nigeria is our mission. Corruption today has become more pervasive under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s APC-led government. No state institution has been spared, and since 2023, its effects have spread throughout national life.

CIVILITY IS NOT WEAKNESS. ENOUGH OF THE HARASSMENT OF MY SUPPORTERS. RELEASE RILWAN OLAWALE NOW. The continued intimidation and harassment of my supporters across the country, the latest being the case of Rilwan Olawale, is disturbing and unacceptable. President Bola Tinubu has remained a huge beneficiary of our democracy and should not brazenly be destroying it by encouraging and facilitating violence. Our campaign is peaceful and issue-driven, focused on offering Nigerians a credible alternative built on competence, accountability, justice, and compassion. We have chosen the path of peace, not violence; persuasion, not intimidation. However, nobody should mistake our civility for weakness, our restraint for fear, or our commitment to peace for an absence of resolve. We will not be intimidated into silence, nor will we abandon Nigerians who believe in a New Nigeria that is possible and will be OK. I therefore demand transparency regarding Rilwan Olawale’s arrest, his release, respect for his rights, and an end to politically motivated harassment. No government or political party has the right to deny Nigerians the freedom to support a candidate of their choice. We will remain peaceful but resolute. We will not resort to violence, but we will stand firmly and lawfully against every attempt to undermine our democratic rights. A New Nigeria is POssible and will be OK. -PO