The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has declared that he is prepared to stake his life in defending the votes of Nigerians in the 2027 general elections.
Obi made the declaration in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during a town hall meeting with voters tagged “Obi Talks Nigeria,” where he assured supporters that his party would resist attempts to intimidate voters or manipulate election results.
The former Anambra State governor said the era when voters could be intimidated at polling units must end, insisting that citizens must collectively stand up to protect their mandate.
“Nobody will intimidate us again at the polling booths,” Obi said, arguing that the number of voters at most polling units far exceeds the number of election officials and security personnel who could potentially attempt to intimidate them.
He urged voters to demand that their ballots count, stressing that many security personnel and electoral officials were themselves Nigerians affected by the country’s economic challenges.
Obi also expressed concern over possible manipulation of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), saying his supporters would be better prepared to counter any attempt to frustrate the electronic transmission of results.
He said, “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.”
According to him, allowing electoral irregularities to persist would amount to worsening the conditions Nigerians currently face
“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.
The NDC presidential candidate’s comments came as his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, warned against assuming that control of a large number of states would automatically translate into victory in the 2027 presidential election.
Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, cited the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election as evidence that incumbency and control of state governments could not guarantee electoral victory.
“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 further argued that some governors, particularly in northern Nigeria, had performed poorly and could face difficulties campaigning for their parties because of growing dissatisfaction among residents.
“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 maintained that Nigerians must be careful in choosing their next president, warning that electing inexperienced leaders could have costly consequences for the country.
Kwankwaso also questioned the impact of increased government revenue on the living conditions of Nigerians.
Recalling his experience as governor in 1999, he said states and local governments received significantly lower allocations than they do today, yet questioned what governments had achieved despite the much larger revenues currently available.
He particularly linked the situation to worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria, saying public anger over the condition of the country was becoming increasingly intense.
Meanwhile, 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 country.
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.
