Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pledged that if elected president in 2027, he will spend his holidays in Nigeria rather than travelling abroad, saying leaders should remain present at home to confront the challenges facing citizens.
Obi made the statement during an exclusive interview on Arise News on Thursday, September 10, 2026, where he outlined key priorities for his 2027 campaign, including electoral transparency, improved security and the promotion of domestic tourism.
Speaking on the need for credible elections, Obi said his administration would deploy measures to ensure that votes cast at every polling unit are properly counted, recorded and transmitted.
“We must make sure that every polling unit, the votes are counted, the votes are recorded properly, the votes are transmitted properly. And we will have even a dual transmission, so that as it’s going to the proper designated INEC portal, it’s also being transmitted where the people can see it,” he said.
According to Obi, his campaign would also operate an independent results-monitoring system that would transmit polling-unit results directly to its situation room.
“All we are saying is that this time around, we will make sure that in every polling unit, we must have a system that transmits to our situation room the correct results,” he said.
He said the arrangement would help prevent discrepancies between results recorded at polling units and figures subsequently announced.
“And I’m sure there’s so many other agencies that intend to do the same thing. So we’re not going to have a situation where somebody just pronounces something that didn’t emanate from the polling unit,” Obi added.
Focus on Insecurity
Addressing Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, particularly kidnappings and ransom demands, Obi questioned why available surveillance technology has not been effectively deployed to track criminals.
“In today’s world, you can know where people are,” he said.
He argued that resources currently used to monitor political opponents should instead be directed towards fighting criminality.
“Today, the government knows where I am. All those equipments they’re using to focus on opponents. Should we focus on criminals?” he asked.
Obi said an administration led by him would redirect surveillance efforts towards criminals rather than political opponents.
“I’m not going to follow any opponents. I don’t care where they are. I don’t care what they do. It’s not my business. I’m going to focus it where it is,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor described the persistent spate of abductions as evidence that something is fundamentally wrong with the country’s security system.
“I don’t know who, but there’s something wrong. Not in today’s world. Because we’re serious. It’s happening to everybody. It’s happening every day. So, there’s something wrong,” he said.
No Foreign Holidays
Obi also reiterated his opposition to public officials taking frequent holidays abroad while Nigerians grapple with poverty, hunger and insecurity.
He said that if elected president, he would spend his holidays within Nigeria, arguing that leadership requires being physically present in the country and that domestic travel could also help stimulate tourism and create jobs.
He has previously encouraged Nigerian leaders to vacation in destinations including Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Cross River, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Kebbi, Yobe and Plateau.
According to Obi, promoting these destinations would help market Nigeria’s tourism potential while generating employment in the hospitality, transportation and other related sectors.
‘Ready to Die’ Remark Was Symbolic
Obi also clarified his recent statement in Port Harcourt that he was “ready to die” for his vote.
He explained that the remark was made symbolically while responding to supporters who said they were prepared to defend their votes in the 2027 election.
“What I did in Port Harcourt was more of listening to the people. It wasn’t me talking; they were asking questions and one of them said, ‘We are prepared to die this time to defend our votes,’ and to encourage them, I said I’m prepared to die with them,” he said.
“It’s symbolic and what we are saying is that we are prepared to ensure that our votes count and they must count.”
