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The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 election, Peter Obi, has urged his supporters in the United Kingdom to stop giving money to people begging for financial assistance back home in Nigeria, as he called for a change in the country’s political leadership.
Obi made the controversial appeal during a town hall meeting with his supporters in the UK on Sunday, where he challenged Nigerians to support leaders with proven records of financial discipline rather than continue tolerating corruption.
“You have people at home in Nigeria today who are begging you for money. Tell them no!” Obi declared.
The former Anambra State governor insisted that his record in public office distinguished him from other governors, claiming that none had matched his achievements in saving public funds.
“I’m not saying I’m a saint, but I saved money. I’ve not seen one governor who has saved 10 per cent of what I saved. No governor has done it,” he said.
Obi urged Nigerians to begin changing the country’s political fortunes by electing leaders who had demonstrated greater financial responsibility.
“Let’s start with this one that is less corrupt. That’s how other countries change,” he said.
He argued that Nigeria’s development had been undermined by the diversion of public resources, accusing corrupt politicians of sharing money meant for essential services and acquiring properties abroad.
“Countries change by people saying, hey, wait a minute, enough of this,” Obi told his supporters.
“And we know what that problem is. It is that money that they are sharing, that money they are using to buy properties is why there’s no school, there’s no hospital.”
He also criticised the use of allegedly stolen Nigerian funds to purchase houses in England, linking the practice to the country’s persistent shortage of schools and hospitals.
English (US) ·