Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has embarked on a spiritual pilgrimage to Rome, seeking divine intervention for Nigeria’s unity, peace, and responsible leadership.
In a statement shared on X, he said he used the trip to “take Nigeria’s situation to God,” urging citizens to remain steadfast amid the nation’s political, social, and economic challenges.
“With hearts full of gratitude, we thanked God that, despite our differences and the many challenges faced over sixty-five years of independence, He has kept us together as one nation,” Obi said.
The former Anambra governor revealed that after a two-day visit to the United States, where he addressed the Friendship Club and the Ubuntu African Youth Assembly in Washington, he flew to Rome to join his wife for the Jubilee Year observance — a sacred Catholic event held every 25 years.
Obi recounted visiting the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome — St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter’s Basilica — where he and his wife prayed for mercy, national renewal, and divine guidance for Nigeria’s leaders.
“At each Holy Door, we prayed that God would open the door of His mercy to Nigeria,” he noted, adding that they were received by Cardinal James Harvey at one of the basilicas.
Obi also attended the Papal General Audience at St. Peter’s Basilica, where he was blessed to hear the Pope’s teaching on faith and perseverance. He revealed that he and his wife were later received in audience by Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex), to whom they humbly appealed for prayers for Nigeria.
Along the journey, Obi met Nigerian pilgrims “whose faces shone with quiet hope,” saying their faith reaffirmed his belief that Nigeria’s redemption is possible.
“I believe fervently in the power and providence of God. Yet, as we lift our nation before Him in prayer, we must not surrender to fatalism. Faith does not absolve us of responsibility; rather, it calls us to action,” he wrote.
“As Nigerians, we must each continue to do our part – with honesty, diligence, and love – for the healing and progress of our country. A new Nigeria is possible.”
