2027 Election: Why The North Will Celebrate Me, Peter Obi Speaks In Trending Video

• Peter Obi made bold claims about his 2027 presidential ambitions during an exclusive interview with Arise News
• The former Anambra state governor singled out the North as the region that stands to benefit most from his administration
• Obi argued that northern poverty predates fuel subsidy removal and that agriculture holds the key to solving the region's problems

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

The 2027 National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said the North will benefit more from his presidency than any other region in Nigeria.

Obi pledged to fight poverty through agriculture and clean governance.

He made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Arise News on Thursday, September 10, 2026.

"If there is one president that the North will celebrate is me. I know its problems. I'll tackle poverty in a new, non-corrupt way," Obi said during the interview.

He described agriculture as the North's greatest untapped resource, arguing that the region sits on land capable of transforming Nigeria's food economy.

Obi also pushed back against the common view that the removal of the fuel subsidy was the primary driver of hardship in northern Nigeria, insisting deeper structural problems are to blame.

"The north has an asset that no other area can say they have, and that asset is agriculture. The poverty in the North wasn't worsening because of the removal of subsidy; there are other things," he said.

An X user, Imran Muhammad, shared the video via his X account @Imranmuhdz

Obi's campaign has increasingly focused on winning support in the North ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Reactions to Peter Obi's claims

The interview clip drew a range of responses on X. @TomTee406 wrote:

"That's just the truth and a fantastic interview. The problem in the North is just that the leaders there deliberately want people to remain illiterate and poor to continue to dominate them. But this will change when the right leader is chosen."

Not everyone was convinced. @Ishaku__Audu questioned whether Obi is well-positioned to lead the opposition to victory, writing:

"This man wants to be president desperately. Is Obi in a good position for the opposition to win in the 2027 election?"

@felixherbt backed the agricultural argument, noting that

"Northern Nigeria alone has vast agricultural land large enough to produce food that will feed all of West Africa."

@adedejirealtor was more sceptical of the poverty pledge, saying:

"Even if he spends the entire budget in his four-year term, poverty will not be reduced by 50%; he will only make the northern elites richer."

2027 election: Kwankwaso projected to betray Peter Obi

Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that ahead of the 2027 elections, NNPP's National Secretary-General described the choice of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as Peter Gregory Obi's running mate as a 'gross mistake'.

The party alleged that Senator Kwankwaso damaged the NNPP after it gave him a free presidential ticket in 2023.

NNPP warned the Seriake Dickson-led NDC that Kwankwaso would repeat the same pattern of betrayal within their ranks.