Omoyele Sowore called for the National Youth Service Corps to be suspended, while Obi says Nigeria's economic gains have not reached households.

ABUJA, Oct 14 – Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, said on Monday that improving economic figures cited by the World Bank and the government had not made life better for most Nigerians, Nairametrics reported. [nairametrics](https://nairametrics.com/2026/10/12/peter-obi-faults-tinubu-over-#7-7-trillion-debt-interest-payments-in-six-months/)

"An economy is not truly stabilized simply because government revenue increases, foreign reserves strengthen, or GDP grows," Obi said in a statement. "The definitive measure of economic success is not the apparent stability of the economy on paper, but the quality of people's lives."

Citing World Bank figures, Obi said the federal government paid 7.7 trillion naira in debt interest between January and June 2026, compared with total revenue of 6.2 trillion naira. "How do you explain the unsustainable debt crisis even with exponential increase in revenue that we have had since 2023?" he asked, according to Nairametrics. [nairametrics](https://nairametrics.com/2026/10/12/peter-obi-faults-tinubu-over-n7-7-trillion-debt-interest-payments-in-six-months/)

The government has defended its removal of the petrol subsidy and its foreign-exchange changes as needed to fix structural problems and strengthen public finances, BusinessDay reported. The World Bank has pointed to better growth and revenue. [businessday](https://businessday.ng/news/article/obi-knocks-tinubus-economic-stability-claims-as-poverty-deepens/?amp)

On Sunday, Obi also criticised a 30-day petrol price discount announced by the federal government. He called it "a substitution of political optics for sound policy" and asked whether a cut of "less than 5% on fuel cost" would reduce poverty or unemployment, TVC News reported. [tvcnews](https://www.tvcnews.tv/peter-obi-questions-fgs-one-month-petrol-discount/)

In a TikTok livestream on Sunday, Obi promised to visit every state each year if elected. "I'm sure I'll be able to do monthly, bi-monthly town hall meetings to explain what we are doing ... as I did while I was governor," he said, Politics Nigeria reported. [politicsnigeria](https://politicsnigeria.com/2026/10/12/ill-visit-all-36-states-every-year-if-elected-president-peter-obi/)

Concern over political violence also grew. In a statement dated Oct. 12, the Obidient Movement, which backs Obi, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of being behind attacks on opposition supporters in Enugu, Edo, Delta and Benue states. "No party has the right to threaten citizens into submission, and no security agency has the right to look away while Nigerians are attacked," the group said, The Sun reported. The Sun's report carried no response from the APC. [thesun](https://thesun.ng/obidients-accuse-apc-of-attacks-in-4-states-warn-of-anarchy/)

The statement followed attacks on Saturday on Nigeria Democratic Congress supporters at Enugu's airport and at the party's state office. Obi said at the time that "when anarchy comes, it consumes everybody," OsunDefender reported. [osundefender](https://osundefender.com/obi-reacts-to-attack-on-enugu-ndc-members/)

The Enugu state government denied any role. It said the airport confrontation began when the party tried to hold a rally without approval, and that one man was wounded by gunfire but nobody was killed, Vanguard reported. Police have ordered an investigation, Premium Times reported. [vanguardngr](https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/10/enugu-govt-denies-role-in-attack-on-ndc-members/)

Olusegun Dada, a presidential aide, wrote on X on Tuesday that opponents of President Bola Tinubu "will see campaign they will run for cover," Politics Nigeria reported. [politicsnigeria](https://politicsnigeria.com/2026/10/13/they-will-run-for-cover-when-campaign-begins-presidency-sends-fresh-warning/)

In Kano, the party is still pressing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to add its governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, to the final list. His running mate, Kwankwaso's son Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, is also missing. State party chairman Hussaini Mairiga had said "By Tuesday, Insha Allah, everything will be okay," Leadership reported. No corrected list had been reported by Tuesday afternoon. [leadership](https://leadership.ng/just-in-kano-ndc-blames-technical-error-for-gwarzos-omission-from-inecs-guber-candidate-list/)

Analysts have linked the omissions to a Sept. 24 Supreme Court ruling. It restored rules that allow parties to field only members listed on registers submitted to INEC in time, Neusroom reported. INEC has not explained the omissions. [neusroom](https://neusroom.com/inecs-final-governorship-list-is-out-and-some-opposition-candidates-are-missing-heres-what-happened/)

Kwankwaso, Obi's running mate, welcomed former APC officials from Kano's Kumbotso area into the party at his home over the weekend, Legit.ng reported. [legit](https://www.legit.ng/politics/1735437-breaking-apc-leader-kano-resigns-video-trends/)

The party has set Oct. 20 to launch its presidential campaign council. National chairman Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe said the party was "making arrangements to ensure that the mistakes of 2023 are not repeated in 2027," The Sun reported. [thesun](https://thesun.ng/2027-ndc-fixes-october-20-for-campaign-council-inauguration/)

Obi, a former governor of Anambra state in the southeast, came third in the 2023 presidential election. Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano state in the northwest, came fourth. Their joint ticket brings together a southern Christian and a northern Muslim. They face Tinubu of the APC and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, among 18 candidates, BusinessDay reported. The presidential vote is on Jan. 16, 95 days away. [businessday](https://businessday.ng/news/article/inec-tinubu-atiku-obi-lead-18-candidate-field-for-2027-presidency/)

Social Democratic Party (SDP): SDP candidate Adewole Adebayo on Tuesday called for the immediate release of five protesters held in Borno state. He called their detention an attack on democratic freedoms and urged the police to stay neutral, ThisDay reported. On Sunday he condemned the Enugu attacks. "The targeted attacks on opposition members while security forces look away is a dangerous trend that must stop immediately," he said, Daily Post reported. [dailypost](https://dailypost.ng/2026/10/12/im-saddened-adebayo-condemns-violence-against-ndc-supporters-in-enugu/)

African Action Congress (AAC): AAC candidate Omoyele Sowore called on Saturday for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to be suspended. This followed the kidnapping of future corps members on a road in Imo state. "The NYSC should be suspended immediately and ultimately scrapped," he wrote on X, Blueprint reported. He proposed replacing it with a voluntary two-year "National Job Corps." [blueprint](https://blueprint.ng/sowore-to-fg-scrap-nysc/)