\u201cI have fought criminality in Anambra. Commitment solves the problem for everybody,\u201d he said, recalling how his administration forced notorious kidnappers out of the state. He referenced an interview with a kidnapper known as Vance, who admitted criminal operations became untenable under Obi\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s either I\u2019m in charge or they\u2019re in charge. One person must be in charge. We declare war. If you\u2019re ready to lead, you must be ready to die. If you\u2019re not ready to die, go home,\u201d Obi said. When asked directly if he was ready to die for Nigeria, he replied, \u201cYes. Tomorrow. If I\u2019m outside this country and there\u2019s war, I\u2019ll come back. I\u2019m a Nigerian. I\u2019ve never had any reason to have any country\u2019s passport\u2026 God created me a Nigerian. And I\u2019m ready to die here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His comments come amid persistent banditry, kidnappings for ransom, and attacks on schools and security personnel. In May, 40 students and teachers were abducted in Oyo State, with one teacher killed and another beheaded. Days later, retired Major General Rabe Abubakar was abducted in Katsina State and later confirmed dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obi lamented the rise of non-state actors challenging state authority and said committed leadership could restore Nigeria\u2019s military glory, recalling past peacekeeping missions in Liberia, Sudan, and Kuwait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obi, 64, first rose to national prominence as governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014, where he was credited with reforms in education and security. He later contested the 2019 vice-presidential election as running mate to Atiku Abubakar under the People\u2019s Democratic Party, and ran for president in 2023 under the Labour Party, finishing third. His move to the Nigerian Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 election has reignited debate about his political future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reactions to his remarks were swift. On social media, supporters hailed his courage: \u201cThis is the kind of leader Nigeria needs \u2014 fearless and committed,\u201d<\/em> one user wrote. Another added, \u201cObi is ready to die for Nigeria, but are Nigerians ready to live for Nigeria?\u201d<\/em> Critics, however, dismissed the statement as rhetoric. \u201cWe don\u2019t need martyrs, we need practical solutions,\u201d<\/em> a commentator posted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Political voices were divided. Some opposition figures accused Obi of dramatizing insecurity without offering concrete plans, while allies praised his passion as evidence of his sincerity. Education bodies and social commentators said his words resonated with citizens weary of violence, but stressed that Nigerians want action, not just declarations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many ordinary Nigerians, Obi\u2019s statement struck a chord. \u201cWe are tired of leaders who run away when things get tough. At least he says he will stand and fight,\u201d<\/em> one resident in Lagos said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) \u2014 Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Party, has declared his readiness to die for Nigeria, saying genuine leadership demands sacrifice in the face of worsening insecurity. The former Anambra State governor made the remarks during an interview with journalist Rufai Oseni on Nevon HQ\u2019s Black Box program, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":33364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3699,4,3,1138],"tags":[1622,1768,19370,19381,2605,19382,1772],"class_list":["post-33363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-featured","category-naija-news","category-politics","tag-2027-elections","tag-banditry","tag-kidnappings","tag-nigerian-democratic-party","tag-peter-obi","tag-rufai-oseni-interview","tag-security-crisis"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot_17-6-2026_102651_www.bing_.com_.jpeg?fit=782%2C444&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33363"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33386,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33363\/revisions\/33386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot_17-6-2026_102631_www.bing_.com_.jpeg?resize=696%2C426&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n