The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said that many Nigerians who owned thriving businesses before President Bola Tinubu assumed office have lost their businesses and are now selling kuli-kuli to survive, insisting that the country has experienced worsening hardship since Tinubu became president.
The former Governor of Anambra State stated this during an interview with Chude Jideonwo which was published on Wednesday, while responding to questions on whether the popularity of the movement that supported his 2023 presidential ambition had reduced.
According to Obi, the support base behind his campaign had not weakened but had expanded as more Nigerians assessed the performance of the current administration.
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He argued that many Nigerians who supported Tinubu based on political experience and previous records had changed their views after experiencing the realities of governance under the administration.
“Those who jumped into, in quotes, some experiential thing, ‘Oh, this man did this, this man did this’, I was going to create the future. I’ve seen that the whole thing was a mess,” Obi said.
He said Nigerians could no longer be convinced that the country was progressing because of the hardship being experienced by citizens.
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“Nobody, nobody can tell you things are moving well. What are they going to do now?” he asked.
The Labour Party candidate added that some businesses that were thriving before Tinubu came into power had collapsed, leaving their owners struggling to make ends meet.
“Those who had business when he came into power have collapsed. They are now the people who are selling kuli-kuli,” Obi said.
Obi said the situation had affected even those who previously defended the government, adding that many Nigerians were now judging the administration based on their personal experiences.
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He also dismissed claims that the enthusiasm behind his 2023 presidential campaign had faded, saying his support had increased because Nigerians had seen the outcome of the choices they made during the election.
“My fellowship has increased because those who jumped into, in quotes, some experiential thing… I was going to create the future,” he said.
The former governor criticised the Federal Government’s “Renewed Hope” agenda, claiming that the country had moved in the wrong direction since Tinubu assumed office.
“You’re talking of the Renewed Hope. It had become hopelessness when President Tinubu came into power,” Obi said.
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He claimed that poverty, hunger and insecurity had worsened, arguing that Nigerians were now experiencing the consequences of poor leadership.
“Eighty-seven million Nigerians were living in poverty. Today, it’s one-fourth,” he said.
Obi also claimed that Nigeria’s position on hunger rankings had deteriorated under the current administration.
“We were number five below where we are today in hunger list. We’ve increased,” he said.
He added that the challenges facing the country were no longer abstract issues but realities Nigerians could see around them.
“Everything has gotten worse. Like I said before, we’re no longer talking of ghosts walking around. You can see where we’ve gotten,” he said.
The former governor listed insecurity and economic hardship among the major concerns affecting Nigerians, saying the government had failed to deliver the improvement it promised.
“Which hope are they going to renew again? You can’t renew failure, and that’s it,” Obi said.
Earlier in the interview, Obi defended his relationship with former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso after questions were raised over his decision to align with him despite concerns about his political structure.
Responding to a question on whether Kwankwaso’s political structure was a “structure of criminality”, Obi described him as a politician who prioritises the welfare of poor Nigerians.
“Kwankwaso is one politician that I can say it anywhere who cares for the interest of the poor.
“He believes in pulling people out of poverty. He believes in training a child of nobody to become something, and that for me aligns with my position,” Obi said.
Obi said education and human capital development remained the foundation of national growth, arguing that countries that transformed their economies invested heavily in their people.
“Truly, the biggest driver of development is education, human capital. It is not physical infrastructure, it’s human infrastructure,” he said.
He cited Asian countries including China and Malaysia as examples of nations that prioritised human capital development to achieve economic progress.
“That’s what the Asian Tigers did. That’s what the Chinese did. That’s what Malaysia, that’s what everybody did,” he said.
Obi said tackling Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis and improving healthcare would be among his priorities if elected president.
He added that his focus remained on creating a productive economy where citizens could acquire the skills and opportunities needed to improve their lives.