Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said he is prepared to risk his life to protect his votes in the 2027 presidential election.
Obi made the statement on Thursday at a town hall meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he urged Nigerians to prevent a repeat of what he described as the “irregularities” recorded during the 2023 general election.
Speaking at the event, tagged “Obi Talks Nigeria”, Obi warned that those who intend to manipulate the 2027 election would face resistance from voters.
“Nobody will intimidate us again at the polling booth. If you get to any polling booth today, the highest number of officials you see is five. The average number of voters is 40 to 50. There is no way five people will intimidate 50 people,” he said.
Obi said Nigerians must collectively defend their votes and ensure that the electoral process is not undermined.
“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,” he said.
He added that his supporters would work towards ensuring adequate coordination at polling units to prevent intimidation during the election.
Obi also expressed concern about possible attempts to manipulate the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV), saying measures would be put in place to address potential technical problems.
“Yes, they will try to manipulate the IReV. But let me tell you, it will not be easy this time,” he said.
“There will be so many IReVs this time. If there is a network glitch, we will give them another one that has no glitch,” Obi added.
He warned that allowing electoral irregularities to persist would have serious consequences for Nigerians.
“By allowing them to continue, that glitch will glitch our lives. That is what we are suffering today,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, NDC vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso urged Nigerians to learn from previous elections and make informed choices in 2027.
“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,” Kwankwaso said.
He cited the 2015 presidential election, when an incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, conceded defeat to Muhammadu Buhari, as an example of why political dominance at the state level does not necessarily guarantee victory at the federal level.
“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.
