‘Stop hiding in Aso Rock’ – Peter Obi dares Tinubu to debate

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to engage Nigerians directly on his administration’s policies, programmes and record ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Obi, through his media office, urged the President to stop relying on ministers, party officials, governors, media aides and other political surrogates to communicate his plans to Nigerians.

The former Anambra State governor made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR) and signed by its spokesman, Idris Zekeri.

The media office alleged that Tinubu was seeking re-election without sufficiently engaging the electorate and accused the President of potentially relying on surrogates to campaign on his behalf.

It argued that while political allies could represent the President at official functions, they could not replace direct interaction between a presidential candidate and the electorate.

“The Nigerian people need to see the candidate. They need to hear the candidate. They need to question the candidate,” the statement said.

Obi’s media office also criticised Tinubu’s absence from the National Peace Accord convened by the National Peace Committee ahead of the 2027 elections.

It described the President’s absence as disrespectful to the organisers, led by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, alongside other members of the committee.

The group alleged that Tinubu could be positioning himself to remain in Aso Rock while relying on surrogates to interact with Nigerians during the election campaign.

“President Tinubu can deploy surrogates to speak for him, sign documents on his behalf, or represent him at some public events, but he cannot send a surrogate to meet the Nigerian people on his behalf,” the statement said.

According to Obi’s media office, the 2027 election should be centred on the records, competence, ideas and character of the presidential candidates rather than the ability of political parties to deploy surrogates.

It also challenged Tinubu to explain the state of the economy and the hardship being experienced by Nigerian households.

“If the President believes his administration has performed well, let him come before Nigerians and say so himself,” the statement added.

“Let him explain the economy. Let him explain the hardship confronting families. Let him explain his policies.

“Let the candidate explain what has changed since 2023. Let him tell Nigerians what he intends to do differently in a second term.”

The group further urged Tinubu to participate directly in major national engagements, including debates and platforms where presidential candidates are expected to interact with voters.

It maintained that Nigerians should be given the opportunity to question candidates directly before deciding who should lead the country after the 2027 election.

“This is not disrespect. It is democracy,” the statement said.

The Obi media office consequently called on Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to abandon what it described as “proxy campaigns” and engage Nigerians directly.

“Nigeria does not need another election in which Nigerians hear more from political surrogates than from the presidential candidate himself,” it said.

The statement concluded by urging Tinubu to appear before Nigerians, defend his administration’s record and present his vision for a second term, allowing voters to make their decision based on the candidate rather than the voices of his political representatives.

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