The media office of the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, has stoutly defended his recent remarks in the United States on engaging and listening to agitators across the country, which it said, has been misconstrued by critics. The media office insisted that dialogue, inclusion and justice remain critical to achieving lasting national unity as outlined by Peter Obi.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR) quoted Obi as saying during an interaction with Nigerians in Washington, United States, that he would adopt a listening and conciliatory approach to address the grievances fuelling agitations in different parts of the country if elected President.
According to Obi, national unity can only be strengthened through engagement with all stakeholders, including groups expressing discontent with the state of the federation.
“I will listen to all agitators, harmonise them and make some sacrifices with a view to bringing the country together,” Obi was quoted as saying.
The media office said the remarks represented a departure from what it described as the conventional reliance on force and security measures in dealing with agitations and regional grievances.
It argued that Obi’s position had been deliberately misconstrued by some critics who singled out the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and sought to portray the comments as an endorsement of ethnic or separatist agenda.
The statement maintained that Obi’s comments were by far general and referred to all groups and regions expressing grievances across the country.
“For decades, Nigeria has leaned heavily on military and security interventions to suppress regional grievances, whether in the South-East, Niger Delta, Middle Belt or the North,” the statement said.
It added that Obi’s approach was based on the belief that agitation is often a symptom of deeper socio-economic and political challenges rather than the root cause of instability.
“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,” the statement noted.
POMR further argued that sustainable peace and national cohesion cannot be achieved through coercion alone but must be founded on justice, inclusion and equitable development.
The organisation identified poverty, youth unemployment, uneven development and feelings of exclusion from the nation’s power structure as some of the factors driving agitations across the country.
The media office argued that opening channels of communication would enable government to better understand and address the underlying causes of unrest while reassuring all sections of the country that they have a stake in the Nigerian project.
It said that Obi’s position was a pragmatic acknowledgement of the limitations of force in managing the complex challenges of a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation.
“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,” the statement added.
, Mr. Peter Obi, has stoutly defended his recent remarks in the United States on engaging and listening to agitators across the country, which it said, has been misconstrued by critics. The media office insisted that dialogue, inclusion and justice remain critical to achieving lasting national unity as outlined by Peter Obi.){kind=link}