Peter Obi speaks on Sheikh Gumi’s stance on terrorism, banditry

The 2027 presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi has reiterated his commitment to inclusive dialogue as a strategy for tackling Nigeria’s persistent insecurity challenges.

Obi made this known while responding to discussions around Sheikh Abubakar Gumi’s engagements with bandits and other armed groups.

Speaking with news anchor, Rufai Oseni on Nevon Black Box, Obi emphasised the importance of a non-confrontational approach to ending insecurity in Nigeria.

According to him, he is focused on problem-solving rather than playing the blame game.

“I keep saying it, I want to discuss with everybody. I am not here to apportion blame on who is wrong or who is right,” the former Anambra governor stated.

Obi expressed willingness to engage all parties: “I want to sit down with everybody in solving these problems. I want to sit down with everybody and say, let’s do it this way…”

Drawing from his experience as governor, Obi highlighted past successes with stakeholder engagement.

“For example, as president, I will sit down with everybody and talk. I did it as governor. I brought people — traditional rulers,” Obi recalled.

When pressed on potential resistance from armed actors or their sympathizers, Obi projected confidence in his persuasive ability. “They will listen to me now!” Obi declared.

He likened the situation to a medical emergency, saying, “They are in the problem. How can you say you’ll call somebody who is sick to come to the hospital and he’ll say he won’t come? He’ll come because he wants to recover.”