Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi has expressed concern over what he describes as increasing challenges and intimidation ahead of the 2027 presidential election, saying he cannot guarantee he will still be alive to contest.
The former Anambra State governor made the remarks during an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, where he alleged that the current administration has deliberately made his daily activities and means of livelihood more difficult.
Obi said the strain he faces daily has led him to question whether he can participate in the next presidential election.
He said:
“I might not even be alive to contest the 2027 presidential election. I’m telling you, every single thing I do for a living, this government is frustrating me. Deliberately so. Everything. So there’s even a possibility if they have an opportunity, I will not be alive.”
According to Obi, he encounters obstacles in situations that he believes should ordinarily be routine.
“I know I get frustration every day. Because you do things that you think will be normal, it is not normal any longer. They won’t come directly and say, ‘Oh, we’re doing this.’ But you could see their hand in virtually everything.”
He further alleged that opposition figures are being personally targeted.
“They’re attacking everybody who is in opposition personally. I am being attacked personally. Everything. Even to provide me with necessary things that I should have been entitled to. Not at all.”
Obi also narrated what he described as a recent incident at an airport involving his vehicle.
According to him, airport officials locked his car despite allowing other vehicles to remain in the same area.
“I had a case recently at the airport where people who work in the airport came and locked my car. And I said, ‘It’s me.’ They said, ‘It doesn’t care.’ But I said, ‘Look at the cars of other people.’ And you could see them talking to each other.”
The former governor claimed that political tensions have created fear among citizens, alleging that some people now avoid publicly associating with him.
He said:
“To the Anambra people I know, at the airport they will not greet me because they are afraid that if they greet me, they become targets of the government.”
He also claimed that some supporters now discourage him from attending family events.
“And I have people send me invitations and say, ‘My son, my daughter is wedding. But please don’t come.’”
Obi argued that Nigeria has become increasingly divided and said one of his priorities would be to promote national unity.
He said:
“We have divided the country, breeding hatred among us. That’s why I keep saying I want to bring back unity where there’s division. I want to show love, compassion, care. It’s gone out of here.”
As of the time of publication, the Presidency has not publicly responded to Obi’s latest allegations.
