The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has challenged President Bola Tinubu and other 2027 presidential hopefuls to defend their records and subject their programmes to public scrutiny.

Obi made the call while addressing a world conference on Friday to mark the commencement of the 2027 presidential and National Assembly campaign season.

The former Anambra State governor said candidates seeking to lead Nigeria should have the courage to meet voters directly, answer their questions and explain their records and policy proposals.

He urged Nigerians to assess all presidential candidates based on their competence, character, capacity and programmes rather than ethnicity, religion, elitism or political patronage.

Obi said genuine leadership required candidates to visit communities affected by insecurity, terrorism, banditry, criminality and flooding, listen to residents and understand their challenges.

He pledged that he and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, would personally travel across the country to engage voters and explain their plans, rather than delegate the responsibility to proxies.

The NDC candidate said Nigeria faced serious challenges, including poverty, unemployment, insecurity, weak infrastructure and high living costs, but maintained that the country had the human and natural resources needed to overcome them.

He promised to prioritise production, investment and human capital development, with agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy and the creative industries serving as key drivers of economic growth.

On insecurity, Obi called for improved intelligence gathering, stronger coordination among security agencies, better border management, technology-driven policing and decentralised security management.

He also pledged greater investment in education, healthcare and technical and vocational training, saying Nigeria’s large youth population should be treated as an economic opportunity rather than a burden.

Obi urged political parties and their supporters to conduct peaceful campaigns, saying political differences should be resolved through debate rather than violence.

He called on Nigerians to scrutinise the records and proposals of all candidates before deciding who should govern the country in 2027.