By BONIFACE AKARAH

Presidential candidate Peter Obi has challenged his fellow presidential contenders in the 2027 election to come forward, defend their records and debate their policies directly with Nigerians instead of relying on political surrogates to speak for them.

Obi, in a statement by his media office, POMR, on Monday, said he would no longer respond to attacks, insinuations or provocations from political surrogates representing presidential candidates.

The statement, dated September 14, 2026 and signed by Idris Zekeri Jnr, spokesperson for the Peter Obi Media Office, said the former Anambra State governor believes a presidential election should be a contest between candidates seeking Nigerians’ votes, rather than between candidates and their supporters.

According to the statement, “a presidential election is a contest between the individuals whose names will appear on the ballot and who are asking Nigerians to entrust them with leadership of the country, not between candidates and their hired defenders.”

POMR said Obi was prepared to defend his record and discuss his ideas directly with Nigerians, challenging other presidential candidates to do the same.

“Our candidate, Mr Peter Obi, is a presidential contender. He stands by his words, defends his record, and is prepared to discuss his ideas openly with Nigerians to enable them to make a well-informed choice,” the statement said.

The media office challenged what it described as presidential candidates “hiding behind surrogates” to step forward and account for their records and policies.

It said, “We challenge every presidential candidate hiding behind surrogates to step forward and speak for themselves. Defend your record. Explain your policies. Address the concerns Nigerians have. Debate your fellow candidates.”

The statement accused unnamed political surrogates of making what it described as reckless accusations and distorting facts while their principals remained removed from the resulting controversies.

It argued that Nigerians deserved direct engagement from those seeking the presidency, rather than what it called “remote-controlled presidential politics.”

POMR further declared that Obi would henceforth respond to presidential candidates directly, rather than to individuals acting on their behalf.

The statement said, “From now on, surrogates are not our constituency of response. Candidates are. If a presidential candidate has an issue with Mr Obi, let that candidate speak directly. If there are policy disagreements, let the candidates debate openly.”

It also challenged anyone questioning Obi’s record to present their own record for comparison.

“If there is a challenge to Mr Obi’s record, let the challenger present their own record as well. No more proxies. No more political ventriloquism,” the statement said.

The media office said the 2027 election would ultimately be decided by Nigerian voters rather than political surrogates, urging presidential candidates to speak directly to the electorate.

It said, “If your name is on the ballot, Peter Obi will engage with you. If you are not on the ballot, Peter Obi has no reason to engage with you.”

The statement added that Obi remained focused on Nigerians’ concerns, particularly what it described as the suffering of citizens and the need to address failures of leadership.

“A New Nigeria is Possible but certainly not with surrogates,” the statement concluded.