By Stella Odueme
The National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Chief Dan Nwanyanwu has emerged as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, with a pledge to tackle insecurity, corruption, poor electricity supply, unemployment and economic stagnation if elected president.
Delivering his acceptance speech, on Saturday during the party’s Special Convention on Saturday in Abuja, Nwanyanwu outlined an ambitious agenda focused on anti-corruption reforms, energy sector revitalization, industrialization, youth empowerment and constitutional restructuring.
On corruption, the ZLP candidate promised a zero-tolerance approach, criticizing what he described as a culture of political protection for corrupt officials.
“A situation in our country where political leaders unacceptably encourage corrupt political and public office holders to join the ruling party in order to be forgiven their sins of corruption is not only unacceptable, but it is also scandalous,” he said.
He pledged to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies by reviewing their enabling laws to make them “more proactive and effective.”
Nwanyanwu also proposed a nationwide audit of assets and financial holdings.
“My government will undertake the audit of all property and bank deposits in Nigeria to determine the legality of those acquisitions. All property, all deposits, we are going to interrogate them,” he declared.
According to him, preventing corruption before it occurs should take precedence over prosecuting offenders after public funds have already been stolen.
“Prevention of crime rather than pursuing those that have already committed the crime will receive top priority in my administration,” he said.
The ZLP flag bearer further promised a comprehensive review of government agencies, parastatals and public corporations dating back to 1999, with a view to recovering allegedly misappropriated public funds.
“I believe if this is officially and thoroughly done, Nigeria may recover enough of our commonwealth in private hands that will eliminate our dependence on unbridled borrowing from financial institutions and countries abroad,” he stated.
Addressing Nigeria’s electricity challenges, Nwanyanwu described the energy sector as one of the most poorly managed sectors of the economy and argued that reliable power supply remains critical to national development.
“Without adequate and proportionate energy supplies, every other aspect of national development will continue to suffer,” he said.
He criticized political leaders for relying on alternative power solutions while ordinary Nigerians continue to struggle with inadequate electricity supply.
“When governments at national and sub-national levels exit from the national grid in this manner, how then will those in authority feel and appreciate the sufferings of millions of Nigerians who cannot afford solar installations in their homes and factories?” he asked.
While pledging support for renewable energy, Nwanyanwu said his administration would encourage private-sector participation and allow state governments to invest more aggressively in power generation.
He also advocated the exploitation of Nigeria’s coal reserves, particularly in Enugu and Kogi states.
“We have abandoned our vast coal deposits, whereas the South African success in electricity power is driven by coal. The same is applicable in China and even in the United States,” he said.
On economic growth and industrialization, Nwanyanwu blamed bureaucratic bottlenecks and poor infrastructure for discouraging investors from doing business in Nigeria.
“Many investors visit Nigeria exploring the possibility of investing in the country, but are discouraged by the hurdles placed on the ease of doing business,” he noted.
To boost entrepreneurship, he promised to improve access to financing for young business owners and support small and medium-scale enterprises.
“My government will make special provisions through financial institutions to make access to funds easy for young entrepreneurs who have very good projects that can scale medium and small-scale businesses,” he said.
The ZLP candidate also expressed concern over rising unemployment among graduates, saying government must create an enabling environment that encourages innovation and self-employment.
“My government will encourage youth and young entrepreneurs not to wait for opportunities but provide the needed environment that will encourage them to explore their skills to generate opportunities,” he stated.
Nwanyanwu further called for reforms in land administration, including faster issuance of Certificates of Occupancy and improved infrastructure to support private investments.
On education, he proposed greater decentralization, advocating increased responsibilities for state and local governments as well as private institutions in managing educational facilities.
“Management of educational institutions will be taken away from the sole control of the federal government and transferred to states, local governments and private establishments,” he said.
The presidential candidate also pledged constitutional reforms aimed at deepening federalism and devolving more powers to federating units.
“In line with our federalism, my government will, as much as possible and where necessary, devolve responsibilities to federating units instead of concentrating every aspect of power and governance at the centre,” he declared.
Nwanyanwu said the full details of his policy agenda covering education, transportation, security, healthcare, nationalism and constitutional reforms would be made available in the party’s manifesto.
“The details of our manifesto will be on our website on Monday,” he announced.
He concluded by thanking party members and supporters for entrusting him with the presidential ticket.
“I want to thank you for this opportunity again given to me,” he said.
