Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed deep concern over the projected food crisis threatening Northern Nigeria, characterizing the situation as both disheartening and preventable.

Responding to a warning from the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP)—which indicates that over 17 million citizens in the northern region face acute hunger—Obi attributed the escalating crisis directly to a failure in leadership. He emphasized that the region possesses the agricultural capacity to serve as the nation's food basket, arguing that only systematic governance failures could result in such severe widespread deprivation.

Data from the WFP highlights that the current hunger crisis in Northern Nigeria is the most severe the region has experienced in nearly a decade. Across nine northern states, millions of residents are facing crisis-level food insecurity, with projections suggesting up to 35 million Nigerians nationwide could be at risk. The situation is particularly critical in Borno State, where thousands of residents have already descended into catastrophic hunger conditions.

Through a statement issued by his media team, Obi called on both federal and state governments to reevaluate their current priorities and move past political rhetoric. He urged authorities to implement transparent, immediate investments designed to secure vital agricultural corridors and provide smallholder farmers with necessary resources.

Additionally, Obi advocated for stronger, proactive collaboration with international organizations like the WFP to close funding gaps. He concluded that addressing these systemic issues is crucial to preventing further loss of life, particularly among vulnerable children, and insisted that achieving a food-secure nation depends entirely on leadership that prioritizes citizen welfare.