Former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has urged Nigerians to prioritize competence over tribal or religious sentiments when electing leaders, stressing that the nation cannot progress without the right leadership qualities.
In a post shared via his official X handle on Monday, Obi emphasized that Nigeria’s current struggles are a direct result of leadership failures stemming from the absence of key qualities.
“Leadership of a nation is either succeeding or failing—none can be hidden. There are critical areas of leadership that must exist for a nation to move forward, summed up in four Cs: Competence, Capacity, Character, and Compassion. Without these, there is no magic you can do,” Obi said.
He warned that voting along ethnic or religious lines instead of assessing candidates based on their ability, experience, and integrity would continue to hinder the nation’s growth.
Obi further explained that Nigeria urgently requires a leader with deep knowledge, strength, integrity, and compassion, arguing that a lack of these traits leads to corruption, broken public trust, and widespread human suffering.
“When a leader lacks compassion, human lives are treated as mere statistics, and suffering is ignored,” he noted.
Obi’s message comes amid renewed public debates on leadership quality following recent national crises.
