Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi has rejected claims that his presidency would deepen divisions in the country, insisting that his record shows he has consistently worked to promote national unity.
Speaking during an interview on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, Obi responded to remarks by former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, who questioned his ability to unite Nigerians.
“I will unite Nigeria, and I know what it takes to unite Nigeria,” he said.
Obi argued that his humanitarian activities across different parts of the country reflect his commitment to national cohesion rather than ethnic or religious division.
He recalled travelling to Borno State at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency to console Sheriff after the former governor lost his brother to the violence.
“At the onset of this Boko Haram issue… his own brother was killed. I travelled to Borno State to console him. When people didn’t want to go there, I went to Borno State.”
The former Anambra governor also said he returned to Borno after devastating floods, where he donated ₦50 million, met with the state governor and the Shehu of Borno, and visited internally displaced persons’ camps.
According to Obi, he has carried out similar humanitarian visits to states including Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi and Sokoto.
“I’ve been to the most troubled parts of the North… I’ve been to Benue up to four times, visiting the various affected communities… I’ve spent Christmas and New Year in IDP camps,” he said.
He added that he had financed borehole projects across several northern communities and supported educational and healthcare institutions, including agricultural projects at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto.
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“I’ve built boreholes in Gombe, in Kaduna, in every part of the North. When the University of Sokoto Agricultural Faculty said all they need is a borehole for their farm, I did it,” Obi said.
The presidential hopeful said he had travelled extensively by road across Nigeria to better understand the challenges facing citizens.
“There’s no politician today in Nigeria… that has been able to travel places that I have been by road… because I want the country to be together, and I understand the people,” he said.
Obi pledged that, if elected, his administration would focus on reconciliation and national healing.
“A Peter Obi presidency will commence the healing and the unity that is required to stabilise and build a better Nigeria.”
He urged Nigerians to move beyond past divisions and focus on building the future.
“You cannot be trapped in the process of yesterday. Those who are trapped in the process of yesterday will lose the future.
“We have a history, but we must not be trapped in it. It must not deprive us of tomorrow,” he said.
Obi said his vision is for a country where people are judged by their values rather than their ethnic or religious background.
“I want the child of Nigeria to be able to grow up in Nigeria, go to school, and live his life without thinking about his tribe, without thinking about yesterday, without thinking about his religion, but as a Nigerian, proud of it.”
Addressing allegations that he once made divisive remarks about northerners, Obi dismissed the claims.
“That’s a lie. It never happened.”
He cited his relationship with northern Nigerians, noting that his former aide-de-camp was a Muslim from Kano.
“My ADC was from Kano, and he’s a Muslim,” he said.
Obi further disclosed that while serving as governor of Anambra State, the cooks attached to him were northerners and that his administration sponsored Muslims in the state to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
“As governor, I was paying for Muslims living in Anambra to go to Hajj,” he said.
He also revealed that he currently supports Almajiri schools in Kano and Bauchi, as well as a School of Nursing in Bauchi.
Obi criticised what he described as the tendency to focus on personalities instead of the country’s pressing challenges.
“Instead of us discussing the problems of the country, people come before you to discuss Peter Obi,” he said.
He stressed that poverty, insecurity, education and healthcare should dominate national conversations.
Reaffirming his commitment to inclusive governance, Obi concluded, “I will never divide Nigeria. I will unite Nigeria. I will show love to every part of Nigeria and make sure things are done differently, because I’m going to involve everybody.”