By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Peter Obi Media Office has outlined its principal’s core agenda as campaigns for the January 16, 2027 presidential election officially commence today, Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

In a statement issued earlier today and signed by the POMR spokesman, Idris Zekeri Jnr, the media office said that the 150-day campaign period would provide Nigerians with an opportunity to assess the candidates, their records and their visions for the country ahead of the election.

It introduced the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Gregory Obi, as the “Candidate of Conscience.”

The statement described Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, as a politician whose public identity is associated with integrity, frugality and accountability.

According to the media office, the Obi campaign is centred on a vision of moving Nigeria “from consumption to production”, while reducing the cost of governance, strengthening education and healthcare, improving security and creating opportunities for young Nigerians.

The statement said Obi's political appeal was not based on ethnicity, religion or regional affiliation, but on what it described as competence, capacity, character, compassion and commitment.

It further urged Nigerians to use the campaign period to scrutinise the records and policy proposals of all presidential candidates rather than being swayed by campaign slogans and political sentiments.

“For us in the Peter Obi Media Office, these 150 days are crucial because they mark a journey that will culminate on January 16, 2027, when Nigerians decide not only who becomes president but also what kind of nation Nigeria will evolve into,” the statement said.

The media office framed the election as a contest between what it described as the country's longstanding problems of waste, division and broken promises and an alternative centred on competence, accountability, productivity and hope.

It said Obi would ask Nigerians to judge him by his record, ideas and character, rather than by his ethnicity, religion or political connections.

The statement also highlighted Obi's record as governor of Anambra State, particularly his emphasis on education, healthcare, infrastructure and fiscal responsibility, while presenting these as indicators of the leadership approach he would bring to the presidency.

“Governance is neither a personal inheritance nor a reward for political loyalty,” the statement said, adding that leadership should be earned through “verifiable competence, character, and measurable outcomes.”

The media office consequently called on voters to listen to all presidential candidates and evaluate their records, ideas and capacity to address Nigeria's economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and institutional challenges.

As the campaign begins, it said the central issue should be the kind of Nigeria voters want to build rather than primordial political considerations.

The statement concluded with a direct appeal to Nigerians to listen to Obi and consider his vision for the country.

“Let the campaign begin. Let the people decide. And let Nigeria choose hope over fear, competence over propaganda, and conscience over convenience,” it said.

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