The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has delivered a blistering assessment of the current administration, declaring it “the worst government ever” in Nigeria’s history and calling for urgent opposition unity to safeguard democracy.
Addressing journalists on Thursday in Abuja at a press conference convened by leading opposition figures under the theme “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” Obi said Nigeria is confronting a deepening national crisis that requires swift and united action. He emphasised that all opposition parties including those not represented at the gathering must close ranks and work together to halt the country’s further decline.
According to him, governance has effectively collapsed, with the legislature at its weakest and the judiciary no longer serving as a dependable refuge for the poor and vulnerable. He warned that insecurity has reached alarming levels, citing recent killings in Kebbi, Zamfara and Adamawa states, and arguing that parts of Nigeria now face violence comparable to war-torn regions.
On the economy, Obi said poverty has surged dramatically in the past two and a half years, rising from 87 million to about 140 million people. He described the development as unprecedented, noting that Nigeria now accounts for one of the largest concentrations of poor people globally.
He also accused the government of excessive borrowing without measurable results, claiming more loans have been accumulated in two and a half years than in the entire period from 1999 to date. Obi dismissed suggestions that food prices are easing, arguing that import policies have undermined local farmers and could deepen hunger in the long term. He further pointed to struggling manufacturers and idle warehouses as signs of a weakening productive sector.
Obi urged Nigerians and opposition leaders to rise above political divisions and act decisively, warning that failure to do so could endanger the country’s future and that of generations yet unborn.
