Obi pledges dialogue with agitators, says unity requires listening, sacrifice

The Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has reiterated his commitment to national unity through dialogue, promising to engage with aggrieved groups across the country if elected president.

Obi made the pledge during an interaction with Nigerians in Washington, United States, where he outlined his approach to addressing the country’s longstanding political, ethnic and regional tensions.

According to him, sustainable peace and national cohesion can only be achieved by listening to all stakeholders and addressing the underlying causes of their grievances.

“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 statement was contained in a release issued by the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), which clarified comments the former Anambra State governor made during the engagement.

POMR said Obi’s remarks had been misinterpreted by some individuals who singled out separatist figures and sought to portray his position as an endorsement of ethnic agendas.

The media office maintained that Obi’s proposal represents a departure from what it described as the conventional “iron-fist” approach to security and national integration, stressing that many agitations across the country are symptoms of deeper socio-economic and political challenges.

According to the statement, successive governments have relied heavily on military and security interventions to contain grievances in various regions, including the South-East, Niger Delta, Middle Belt and parts of Northern Nigeria.

However, Obi believes that dialogue, inclusion and social justice offer a more sustainable path to peace.

The statement argued that regional agitations are often fuelled by poverty, youth unemployment, uneven development, perceived injustice and feelings of exclusion from the nation’s power structure.

It added that engaging aggrieved groups through structured dialogue would help restore confidence in democratic institutions and reinforce the principle that all citizens have a stake in the Nigerian project.

POMR further noted that Obi’s philosophy is anchored on the belief that “true peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”

The media office described the approach as a pragmatic recognition that security operations alone cannot resolve all conflicts in a diverse country such as Nigeria.

“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 said.

The release was signed by POMR spokesman, Ibrahim Umar, who reaffirmed the group’s conviction that “a New Nigeria is Possible.”