The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has ruled out electoral malpractice in the 2027 general elections, assuring supporters that there will be free and fair elections.
Obi, who spoke on Thursday in Port Harcourt during at a town hall meeting attended by both party candidates and supporters, noted that those plotting to manipulate the election would fail in their mission.
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At the event tagged “Obi Talks Nigeria,” urged his supporters to go all out and exercise their franchise on election day, noting that no one would intimidate them or prevent their votes from counting during the 2027 general elections.
Obi, however, urged supporters to be alert at the polling units and defend their votes at polling units, pointing out that the new Electoral Act has made very difficult for voters to be intimidated.
According to the former Labour Party presidential candidate, it is the duty of Nigerians to insist that their votes count by protecting the electoral process.
He said that the party has mapped out plans to counter possible technical challenges, but warned against those who might attempt to manipulate the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV),
Obi said: “Nobody will intimidate us again at the polling booth. If you get to any polling booth today, the highest number of officials you see in any polling booth is five.
“The average number of voters is 40 to 50. There’s no way five people will intimidate 50 people. And we will make sure we have coordination to ensure that such intimidation does not arise…
“There will be so many IReVs this time. This time around, if there is network glitch, we will give them another one that has no glitch.
“By allowing them to continue, that glitch will glitch our lives. That’s what we are suffering today. This time all of us will rescue our country,” he said.
Also speaking, the party’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, appealed to voters to avoid past mistakes of not choosing competent leaders with the experience, commitment and capacity to address the country’s challenges.
He said that despite the number of states that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) currently controls, the party will still lose the next election.
Kwakwanso said that former President Goodluck Jonathan lost the 2015 presidential election, despite being the incumbent, noting that being in control of states does not automatically translate into victory at the national level.
Kwakwanso said: “I believe that Nigerians must not make mistakes again. This is the time to get it right. And anything to the contrary, I believe people, if they make a mistake, certainly people will regret making that mistake. Because it will be too costly for the people and the country…
“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.
Also speaking, the NDC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, pledged that the party would work to achieve a Nigeria that works for its citizens, and assuring that its supporters in Rivers State were ready for the elections.