The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has declared his readiness to make the ultimate sacrifice in defence of the votes of Nigerians during the 2027 general elections.
Obi made the declaration in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at a town hall meeting with voters tagged “Obi Talks Nigeria,” where he vowed that his party and supporters would resist intimidation and any attempt to manipulate the outcome of the election.
The former Anambra State governor said the era of intimidating Nigerians at polling units must come to an end, stressing that citizens must be prepared to collectively protect their votes and mandate.
“Nobody will intimidate us again at the polling booths,” Obi said, noting that the number of voters at most polling units was far greater than the number of electoral officials and security personnel deployed to conduct elections.
He urged Nigerians to insist that their votes must count, arguing that electoral officials and security personnel were also citizens who understood the economic hardship confronting the country.
Obi also raised concerns about possible manipulation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal, known as IReV, saying his supporters would be better prepared to prevent any disruption of electronic transmission of election results.
“There will be so many IReVs this time. This time around, if there is a network glitch, we will give them another one that has no glitch,” he said.
According to the NDC candidate, allowing electoral irregularities to persist would further worsen the already difficult conditions facing Nigerians.
“This time all of us will rescue our country. Somebody said, ‘we are ready to die.’ Let me tell you, I’m ready to die too,” Obi declared.
Meanwhile, Obi’s running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, warned political parties against assuming that control of a large number of state governments would automatically guarantee victory in the 2027 presidential election.
Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, cited the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election as evidence that incumbency and the control of several states could not guarantee electoral success.
“Jonathan was the president, the sitting president lost the election. I’ve given you an example, especially those who think because they have over 30 governors, they cannot lose the election. That was a very big mistake,” he said.
The former governor also criticised the performance of some governors, particularly in northern Nigeria, claiming that growing dissatisfaction among residents could make it difficult for them to campaign effectively for their parties.
“By the grace of God, all of them, especially the ones in the North, because I studied the trend, those governors and their party have performed woefully, to the extent that it is very difficult for them even to come out and campaign,” Kwankwaso said.
He urged Nigerians to exercise caution in choosing the country’s next president, warning that the election of inexperienced leaders could have serious consequences for the nation.
Kwankwaso further questioned the impact of increased government revenues on the welfare of ordinary Nigerians, recalling that states and local governments received far lower allocations when he became governor in 1999.
He wondered what governments had achieved with the significantly increased revenues currently accruing to them, particularly in addressing insecurity and poverty.
The NDC vice-presidential candidate linked the situation to worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria, saying public frustration over the state of the country was steadily increasing.
Also speaking, the NDC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, pledged his commitment to the party’s campaign and expressed confidence that Nigeria could be transformed into a functional and prosperous nation.
Lulu-Briggs thanked the party leadership for the opportunity to participate in the political process and assured supporters that the party would not be intimidated.
“We are not afraid. Courage is not the absence of fear, but fear that has set us free,” he said.
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