Former presidential candidate Peter Obi says Nigeria is collapsing and divided under President Bola Tinubu, warning the country may drift into a more devastating situation if he is reelected in 2027.

“The country is collapsing, and if you allow it to go further, it would be worse,”  Mr Obi said during the African Democratic Congress convention in Abuja on Tuesday. “We need to work as a united Nigeria for the sake of Nigeria. The country is so divided, so we need unity. The present government has ensured that we remain more divided. Our unity is important.”

Mr Obi, who decried the high poverty rate under Mr Tinubu, further accused the All Progressives Congress-led government of excessive borrowing.

He added, “If you check your indices, when the present government came into being, our poverty rate was 41.6% and 8 million people. Today, we are 63% and 140 million people. So they have almost doubled that. 

“When this government came into being, we removed the petroleum subsidy to stop borrowing for services and use the money to develop the country. Today, we are about 200 trillion in debt. Worse still, this government owes contractors; no projects of 2025 have been funded. We have a huge debt and have borrowed more.”

The former Anambra government said the country may descend into disaster, stressing the need for sacrifices among Nigerians.

“We are heading to disaster. I used these figures to show you we are drifting. We all have to work hard because anarchy consumes everybody. We must now sacrifice for the sake of our children. If we don’t do anything, what is happening will take revenge on our children and us,” Mr Obi stated.

The presidency could not be reached for comment on Mr Obi’s latest allegations.

About 141 million Nigerians were projected to fall into abject poverty in 2026, as Nigeria’s poverty rate was projected to rise exponentially to 62 per cent this year, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Nigeria Economic Outlook published in January.

The report revealed that the poverty rate, which stood at 59% in 2024, rose to 61% (139 million people) in 2025 and is expected to climb to 62% (141 million) in 2026.