Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, has said the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, faces significant challenges in gaining acceptance in Northern Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview with DCL English, Yusuf maintained that Obi would face intense scrutiny from Northern voters over his political record, positions and associations.
“Peter Obi is not sellable in the North and this is the honest truth, they don’t want me saying that but I don’t know how to lie. Peter Obi cannot penetrate the North, that’s the honest truth.
“There are three main oppositions, APC- Tinubu, ADC-Atiku and NDC-Peter Obi. Peter Obi is a very young man and the North has issues with him. I have said it times and again that we are going to interrogate his tenure as a governor.
“We are going to interrogate his association and refusal to disassociate himself from IPOB which has been declared a terrorist group.”
Yusuf said Northern voters would seek clarification from Obi regarding his views on the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and his comments on the separatist agitation.
“He’s been talking that Nnamdi Kanu should not have been arrested that he’s clean. We will interrogate him, it’s not for his surrogates to come and give us answers; he must come and talk to people in the North.
“If you arrest Turji and I say that he’s not a terrorist, you think anybody will vote for me even back home here?,” he questioned.
The former NHIS boss also alleged that Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign projected ethnic and religious sentiments that could affect his appeal among some Northern voters.
“Peter Obi during his 2023 election, Peter Obi was partly Igbocentric and Christian, how do you expect us Muslims to be comfortable with you?
“He went round all churches during his 2023 campaign, he has questions to answer and he needs us to be comfortable with him,” he added.
Obi, who emerged as a major political force during the 2023 presidential election, secured significant support across several parts of the country, particularly among young voters and urban populations. However, discussions over regional acceptance and electoral viability continue to feature prominently in debates ahead of the 2027 general election.
