Peter Obi, Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, has urged Northern Nigerian voters to move beyond religious and tribal loyalties and instead vote based on competence and capacity in the upcoming elections.

Addressing a gathering of Northern leaders under the National Political Consultative Group, Obi highlighted that the North had historically voted along religious and tribal lines, but emphasized, “This is the time to vote for something else; a time to consider competence and capacity.”

The audience included notable figures such as former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. Obi stressed that Nigeria’s solutions could emerge from the North.

He linked the region’s insecurity challenges to poverty and urged leaders to prioritize education as the most effective way to combat poverty.

In a statement released by his media spokesperson, Ibrahim Umar, Obi described the North as Nigeria’s future major asset. Reflecting on his banking days, he recalled how Kano was once the go-to place for cash but lamented that today, most industries there have collapsed.

Obi further emphasized the critical need for trust among Nigerians, free from ethnic and religious biases, to address the country’s complex challenges.

He noted that Northern Nigeria holds greater potential than successful agrarian countries like Bangladesh and the Netherlands but suffers due to poor governance, weak policies, and lack of proper implementation.

In a keynote speech, Abubakar Malami expressed deep concern about the security situation in the North and called for the creation of a platform to rescue the region.