THE Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has urged Nigerians to shift away from tribal and religious voting patterns, warning that continued leadership failures are rooted in these sentiments rather than in merit-based choices.
In a message posted on his official X handle todaay, the former Anambra State governor emphasized that Nigeria’s progress depends on electing leaders with Competence, Capacity, Character, and Compassion — the “4 Cs” he describes as essential for effective leadership.
“Leadership either succeeds or fails — and we can all see what leadership without the four Cs has done to this country,” Obi said.
“We must stop voting based on tribe and religion and instead prioritize those with the vision and ability to lead.”
Obi argued that competence involves a leader’s understanding of national issues and the knowledge to address them. Capacity, he added, reflects the energy, strength, and resilience required to tackle complex national challenges. Beyond skills, he stressed the need for character and integrity to maintain public trust, and above all, compassion to ensure governance reflects empathy for citizens’ lives and struggles.
He criticized President Bola Tinubu’s perceived lack of response to recent national tragedies, including the flooding in Niger State that claimed nearly 200 lives and the killing of over 200 people in Benue State by suspected herdsmen.
“Despite the scale of these tragedies, the president did not visit the affected areas. There was no national mourning, no presence to console the grieving. This shows a troubling absence of compassion in leadership,” Obi said.
To highlight the contrast, he pointed to recent events in other countries, noting that the Indian Prime Minister personally visited the site of a deadly plane crash, and the South African President stood with victims of a devastating flood.
“That is leadership with a human face,” he remarked. “Here in Nigeria, we’ve normalized leadership that lacks empathy and accountability.”
Obi concluded with a call for a new kind of leadership: “Nigeria does not just need a president — it needs a leader. Until we begin to vote based on competence, capacity, character, and compassion, the cycle of pain will persist.”