Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi has said he would negotiate with bandits and other violent groups if they genuinely renounce violence and commit to peace.
Speaking during an interview on BlackBox with Rufai Oseni, the former Anambra State governor said dialogue would form part of a broader strategy aimed at fostering national unity and rebuilding trust across the country, while stressing that force would be deployed against those determined to continue armed conflict.
“In uniting the country, anybody who wants peace, I will talk with him; I will negotiate with him,” Obi said. “Anybody who wants war, we will go to war.”
According to the NDC standard-bearer, individuals who have engaged in criminal activities in the past should not be permanently excluded from society if they demonstrate a sincere desire to reform and contribute positively to national development.
Drawing from his experience during a visit to the United States, Obi recalled touring a university where several members of the academic leadership had previously served prison terms before turning their lives around.
“I once visited a university in America where the entire faculty are people who came out of prison,” he said. “From the dean to the registrar, professors spent years in prison for one offence or the other. So, if you say you want to change and be part of this new Nigeria we are talking about, we have reached a point where we have to tell ourselves the truth.”
Obi said his vision for the country would be based on inclusiveness and national cohesion, maintaining that every region and ethnic group must have a sense of belonging under his leadership.
“I will unite the country and secure that nobody is left behind. No tribe is left behind; there would be inclusiveness,” he said. “We will show love and care for everybody.”
