Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, joined the party’s national leader, Seriake Dickson, at a boat regatta campaign event in Bayelsa State on Friday, bringing electoral politics to Yenagoa’s waterways.
The colourful event developed into a carnival as hundreds of boats, adorned with NDC flags, moved through the creek. Supporters on the water and along the waterfront repeatedly chanted Obi’s name.
Quick facts
- The NDC campaign event took place on Friday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
- Hundreds of flag-decorated boats participated in the creek procession.
- Peter Obi attended alongside NDC national leader Seriake Dickson.
- The regatta drew on a traditional Ijaw cultural display.
- Videos from the event later circulated widely on social media.
Obi and Dickson arrived together, with Obi taking a position aboard one of the leading boats. He waved to crowds gathered beside the water as the flotilla passed.
Addressing participants, Obi said the NDC was presenting itself as a new force seeking to restore Nigeria. He argued that Bayelsa, as a riverine state, required particular consideration.
“We are not merely running a campaign; we are engaging people within their own surroundings,” Obi said. “Bayelsa residents live on the water, and we therefore have to reach them on the water.”
Dickson said the regatta demonstrated that the party had support at the community level across the Niger Delta. He described the event as evidence of backing beyond Nigeria’s political centre.
“This is not politics from Abuja. These are the real people — the Ijaw people — displaying their power,” Dickson said. “We will sail to victory with boats.”
The boat regatta is a longstanding cultural showcase among the Ijaw people. NDC supporters said using the event as a campaign platform was a calculated choice, combining respect for Bayelsa traditions with the party’s electoral message.
Footage of the procession has gone viral online, where many Nigerians praised Obi for taking his campaign into the state’s creeks.
