Prioritise competence, not tribe, in choosing leaders, Obi urges Nigerians

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has advocated for a transformation in Nigeria’s leadership selection, urging citizens to consider competence, capacity, character, and compassion when picking leaders.

In a statement on Monday via X titled “What Cannot Be Hidden in Leadership,” Obi said leadership is either succeeding or failing, and the outcomes are always obvious.

The four Cs—competence, capacity, character, and compassion—are essential components of leadership that a country needs in order to advance. There is no magic you can perform where these four are absent," he stated.

He restated his long-held belief that the nation has suffered greatly as a result of tribal and religious factors being taken into account when choosing leaders.

“We must move away from voting based on tribe and religion, and begin to vote for people with competence, capacity, character, and compassion, because we have all seen, painfully, what leadership without these qualities has done to our country.”

Obi emphasised that competence is vital for understanding and solving Nigeria’s complex challenges, while capacity ensures the stamina and mental strength needed to lead effectively.

“Leadership must be rooted in character and integrity because without integrity, public trust collapses, corruption thrives, and selfishness takes over,” he added. “But perhaps most importantly, we need compassion, because when a leader lacks compassion, human lives are treated as statistics, and suffering is ignored.”

Citing recent tragedies, Obi condemned the federal government’s apparent lack of response.

“Recently, we witnessed severe flooding in Niger State that claimed nearly 200 lives, with many still missing. Yet, not even a single presidential visit,” he said. “Just days ago, over 200 Nigerians, innocent men, women, children, and even soldiers were massacred in Benue State. Again, no presidential visit. No physical presence at the scenes of pain. No genuine national mourning.”

Contrasting this with international examples, Obi said, “In India, after a plane crash killed nearly 200 people, the Prime Minister was physically at the scene within hours. In South Africa, when floods claimed 78 lives, the president went personally to the affected communities, stood with them, and took responsibility.”

“That is leadership with compassion. That is leadership that understands the value of human life,” he said. “But here in Nigeria, we have normalised leadership without empathy, without accountability, and without a human face.”

He concluded by stating that Nigeria needs more than just a president.

“Nigeria does not just need another president; Nigeria needs a leader, a leader with competence, capacity, character, and compassion. Until we choose leaders on these principles, the cycle of pain will only continue,” he said.