The Peter Obi Media Office has dismissed claims that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, called on Nigerians living abroad to abandon their families in Nigeria, describing the interpretation of his remarks as misleading and taken out of context.
In a statement issued on Monday, October 19, 2026, and signed by POMR spokesman Idris Zekeri Jnr, the media office said some individuals had circulated an edited video of Obi’s remarks to Nigerians in Europe in a manner intended to misrepresent his message.
The office maintained that Obi’s comments were not intended to discourage Nigerians in the diaspora from supporting their parents, siblings or other relatives at home.
“Peter Obi’s remarks were never intended to encourage Nigerians abroad to abandon their parents, siblings, or other loved ones in Nigeria. Nothing could be further from the truth,” the statement said.
According to the media office, Obi recognises the sacrifices Nigerians living abroad make to support their families, including paying school fees, covering medical bills, providing food and assisting relatives facing economic difficulties.
It explained that the central message of his remarks was the need to build a country capable of providing its citizens with the basic necessities of life without forcing millions to depend on financial assistance from relatives overseas.
The statement argued that Nigeria, despite its abundant human and natural resources, should be able to provide decent employment opportunities, affordable healthcare, quality education and a dignified standard of living for its citizens.
It added that Obi’s vision was to create a country where remittances from Nigerians abroad would contribute more significantly to national development rather than serve as a lifeline for families struggling to meet their daily needs.
“He is not asking Nigerians abroad to stop supporting their families. Rather, he is advocating for a Nigeria in which their families will no longer need to depend on them in order to survive,” the statement said.
The media office described the distinction as a shift from managing the consequences of poverty to addressing its underlying causes through effective governance and economic development.
Reaffirming Obi’s political message, the statement concluded with the slogan: “A New Nigeria is Possible and will be OK.”
The statement was signed electronically by Idris Zekeri Jnr, spokesman for the Peter Obi Media Office, on October 19, 2026.
