Video taking off 16x its usual first day

Utomi calls for Tinubu to debate Nigeria's presidential contenders

The Arise News interview makes a case for face-to-face campaigning and public accountability ahead of the 2027 election.

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Arise News Story of October 16, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 38,741 views a day, 16 times a normal first day on this channel (2,434).

The President Should Stand Side By Side With Major Contenders and Debate - Utomi

Things we can learn from the video

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1:54Utomi argues that presidential candidates should debate opponents and meet citizens directly.
7:49He criticizes political elites for an arrangement he describes as serving insiders rather than the wider public.
10:45Henry Ford and America's middle class illustrate his argument for enlightened self-interest.
16:46He calls for civic pressure, voter participation and technology to help safeguard elections.
18:04Utomi says opposition coalition work is progressing, but does not announce a completed agreement.

Standing beside an opponent and answering policy questions should be part of asking for the presidency, Professor Pat Utomi argues. In his Prime Time interview on Arise News, the political economist makes public debate a test of whether candidates are prepared to serve citizens.

His demand extends beyond the studio. "If the president cares about the Nigerian people, he should stand in every state capital, go to some rural areas, pump hands with the people," Utomi says of President Bola Tinubu.

The interview drew nearly 18,000 views in seven hours, an unusually strong opening for the channel's regular-length uploads. But its subject is broader than campaign appearances: Utomi asks what political leaders owe the people whose votes they seek.

Identified on screen as a member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, he criticizes an elite political culture that he describes as serving insiders. He uses Henry Ford and the expansion of America's middle class to illustrate his alternative: enlightened self-interest, in which prosperity spreads beyond a narrow group rather than remaining concentrated within it.

Later, Utomi urges civil society and international observers to press for accountability, voter participation and technology that helps protect elections. Asked about opposition coalition efforts, he says work is progressing, without announcing a completed agreement.

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