By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has emphatically stated that if he is voted to become the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he will be the president of every Nigerian and will listen to the complaints of every section of the country.
Mallam Ibrahim Umar, spokesman of Peter Obi Media Group, told journalists in Abuja, Saturday, that the former Anambra state governor made this commitment during the week in Washington DC, United States of America (USA) while responding to Nigerians in the North American country seeking his view on unifying Nigerians in a polarised nation.
He said Obi told the Nigerians in diaspora that if he becomes president of Nigeria, he will listen to every section of the country and also make necessary sacrifices for the unity of the country and its people.
According to Umar, Obi explained to his hosts that, “to achieve the aim of unifying the country, I will listen to all agitators, harmonise them and make some sacrifices with a view to bringing the country together.
He said that when Obi stated that he would listen to all agitators with a view to uniting Nigerians, he also offered a significant shift from the conventional, iron-fisted approach to state security and national cohesion.
Said he: “This philosophy positions dialogue, social justice, and inclusion as the primary mechanisms for healing Nigeria’s deep-seated geopolitical fractures.
“Unfortunately, his position has been misconstrued by some people who singled out Nnamdi Kanu as one of the agitators and ran with it just to attach Obi to their ethnic motives.
“For decades, Nigeria has leaned heavily on military and security interventions to suppress regional grievances, whether in the Southeast, the Niger Delta, the Middle Belt or the North.
“Obi’s proposal, being twisted by opponents, suggests that agitation is often a symptom, not the root cause. By shifting the strategy from active combat to active listening, Obi plans to treat agitators not just as security threats but as citizens with grievances — many of which stem from economic marginalisation, perceived injustice, and institutional neglect.
Speaking further, Umar said: “True national unity cannot be coerced; it must be built. The core argument for Obi’s dialogue-first model rests on three main pillars: Many regional agitations are driven by poverty, high youth unemployment, and uneven development.
“Listening allows the government to identify the socio-economic disparities driving the anger. Agitation frequently flares up when a region feels entirely excluded from the federal power structure.
He insists that a conversational approach signals that every region has a legitimate seat at the table, adding that democracy, which our principal plans to practise realistically, will encourage structured dialogue to restore faith in democratic institutions and to demonstrate that the state values civic engagement over intimidation.
Said he: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
This timeless principle underpins the concept of engaging aggrieved factions to find a common, workable middle ground for a fractured nation.
“Peter Obi’s Media Office, therefore, believes that his stance of listening to agitators is a pragmatic recognition that gun barrel diplomacy has its limits.
“For a multi-ethnic, multi-religious state like Nigeria, unity cannot be enforced by decree. It must be negotiated through shared prosperity, fairness, and mutual respect. A New Nigeria is Possible.”
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