Nigeria: Obi’s media office rejects ‘ruling class agenda’

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

ABUJA — The Media Office of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has rejected what it called the “rules of engagement set by the ruling class,” saying those responsible for Nigeria’s current problems should not control the national conversation.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by spokesman Idris Zekeri, the office said the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement and its supporters would not be drawn into “trivial controversies” and instead urged Nigerians to concentrate on urgent national issues: economic hardship, insecurity, and poor governance.

The statement was a response to reactions trailing Obi’s recent television interview. According to the media office, some political actors are deliberately trying to divert attention from the issues the former Anambra State governor raised.

The office said Obi remains committed to building a Nigeria founded on competence, character, transparency, and practical solutions.

“The debate that Nigeria desperately needs today is not about political drama or deliberate semantic distortions,” the statement read. “It is about how to rescue a failing economy, restore the purchasing power of the naira, secure innocent lives, and transit our nation from a consumption-driven economy to a productive powerhouse.”

It argued that Nigeria is facing a governance crisis, not just a battle over political narratives.

The media office also alleged that while citizens continue to grapple with rising food prices, unemployment, and insecurity, some political actors are pushing distractions to avoid accountability.

“The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement and the millions of patriotic Nigerians who stand with us will not be dragged into the gutter of trivial controversies created by those who have failed the nation,” the statement said. 

“We refuse to allow those responsible for the country’s current plight to set the agenda for public discourse.”

The office said no amount of alleged smear campaigns or distractions would deter Obi from speaking on national issues and advocating for reforms.

The media office urged the press and the public to keep the focus on issues that affect people’s daily lives rather than political theatrics.

“Let us remain focused on the issues that truly matter. A new Nigeria is possible, but only if we refuse to be distracted,” it stated.

Obi, who is leading the NDC into the next election cycle in partnership with the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, has consistently campaigned on a platform of fiscal discipline, production over consumption, and accountable leadership.

The statement reaffirmed that commitment, saying the country needs leadership driven by competence and character rather than by attempts to control what Nigerians talk about.

With economic pressure mounting and security concerns persisting in several regions, the Obi camp says the priority must be solutions, not spin.

“A new Nigeria is possible,” the statement concluded, “but it starts with refusing to let those who created the crisis define the conversation.”