Peter Obi told Nigerians living in the United Kingdom to press for competent leadership back home instead of sending money to relatives, according to Premium Times Nigeria. The remarks were reported on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. Obi is a former presidential candidate in Nigeria.
According to Premium Times Nigeria, Obi asked the diaspora audience to tell people at home to elect leaders with the ability to govern. The same remarks were picked up by Sahara Reporters, which framed them around a call to halt remittances until Nigeria's president, Bola Tinubu, is voted out.
Obi then moved to clarify his position, Punch Newspapers reports, saying he never told Nigerians abroad to abandon their families. TheCable reported separately that Obi described himself as "not a saint" and urged Nigerians to back leaders with a track record of delivery.
The Guardian Nigeria News reported that Obi also met Nigerians in Birmingham, where he repeated his call for a Nigeria free of corruption. The reports together place the trip within a wider diaspora outreach by Obi, who has spent years arguing that Nigeria's problems stem from leadership rather than resources.
The coverage shows how quickly a single remark about remittances can travel: one outlet reported a call to stop sending money, while another carried Obi's denial that he had asked anyone to cut ties with dependents. Remittances from Nigerians abroad are a major source of household income, which makes any suggestion of withholding them politically sensitive.
Watch for Obi's team to issue a fuller statement on the remittance remarks, and for reactions from diaspora groups and Nigerian political figures in the coming days.
