Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has promised to spend his holidays within Nigeria if elected president in the 2027 general elections, saying he would use the periods to visit different parts of the country and engage directly with citizens.

Obi made the pledge in his Independence Day address delivered in Abuja on Thursday, October 1, 2026.

He said his proposed four-year tenure would include holiday visits to states such as Zamfara, Borno, Kwara, Ebonyi, Edo and Ekiti, among others.

The former Anambra State governor said the decision would enable him to better understand the conditions facing Nigerians and interact with people across different communities. His remarks were also reported by Channels Television and TheCable.

Obi said he intended to lead by example if elected, arguing that presidential holidays should provide an opportunity for the country’s leader to interact with citizens rather than leave Nigeria.

He said he wanted to see more of the country, listen to Nigerians and understand the challenges confronting different communities.

According to him, his proposed holiday visits would also provide an opportunity to celebrate the resilience of Nigerians.

Beyond his holiday pledge, Obi said his administration would make governance measurable and accountable, with emphasis on the welfare and productivity of Nigerians.

He said citizens would begin to see what he described as tangible results of effective leadership within the first year of his proposed administration.

Obi also pledged to tackle insecurity, saying his administration would seek to create conditions that would allow farmers to return to their farms, children to return to school and businesses to operate without fear.

He argued that no Nigerian should have to remain in an internally displaced persons camp because of a failure by government to provide security.

In his Independence Day address, Obi also criticised the All-Progressives Congress-led Federal Government over what he described as continuing challenges across several sectors.

He cited poverty, insecurity, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and the number of children out of school among the issues confronting the country.

Obi argued that Nigeria’s central problem was not a shortage of resources but what he described as the failure of successive governments to convert the country’s resources into human development, productivity, security and shared prosperity.

These remarks formed part of Obi’s broader argument for what he described as accountable and measurable governance.

The NDC candidate also spoke about his recent visit to Sokoto State with his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

According to Obi, the visit included consultations on insecurity, poverty, unemployment, drug abuse and the problem of out-of-school children.

He also recounted a visit to an internally displaced persons camp in Ramin Kura, within Sokoto metropolis, where he said he saw the hardship faced by displaced women and children.

Obi described the situation as an indication of the difficulties experienced by displaced Nigerians in different parts of the country.

He questioned why Nigerians should continue living as displaced persons within their own country and called for stronger government action to address insecurity and its consequences.

The latest pledge is not the first time Obi has spoken about spending presidential holidays within Nigeria.

About a month earlier, he criticised the practice of Nigerian presidents spending holidays abroad and argued that the President should use vacation periods to visit communities facing security and development challenges.

At the time, Obi said that if elected, he would spend his holidays in Nigeria and visit states including Zamfara and Borno.

He maintained that security concerns should not prevent the President from visiting parts of the country affected by insecurity.

Obi’s latest address combined his proposed approach to presidential travel with wider campaign commitments on security, accountability, education, productivity and the welfare of Nigerians.

He said his proposed administration would seek to build what he described as a secure, united and productive Nigeria, with public resources directed towards the public good.

The former Anambra governor is among the politicians seeking the presidency in the 2027 general election, with his campaign message increasingly focused on governance, security, accountability and economic productivity.

For now, the proposed holiday policy remains a campaign pledge that would apply if Obi were elected president in 2027.