The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 general election, Peter Obi, has said the credibility of the next general election will depend largely on Nigerians’ determination to protect their votes rather than on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Obi made the remarks on Friday while speaking with journalists after attending the burial of Pa Simon Okorie Abaa, father of the NDC’s Ebonyi South senatorial candidate, Linus Okorie, in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Addressing concerns about the 2027 elections, the former Anambra State governor said Nigerians have the power to influence the electoral process by insisting that every vote counts.
“It is not about confidence in INEC. Do I still have confidence in the people? Because it is the people that will determine what INEC will do. If the people insist that their votes will count, their votes will count,” Obi said.
He urged Nigerians to reflect on the country’s current state and decide the future they want for coming generations.
“Anybody talking about changing Nigeria today is making the ultimate sacrifice because we cannot continue like this,” he added.
Obi also lamented the worsening economic situation, saying poverty and hunger have continued to increase across the country.
“Every day poverty is increasing. Every day hunger is increasing. You don’t even need World Bank reports to know this because you can see it in the villages,” he said.
The former governor argued that millions of Nigerians are already suffering due to the country’s economic challenges.
“For me, every Nigerian is already being harassed by hunger… It is time for Nigerians to tell those who are harassing us that enough is enough,” Obi stated.
Speaking on the occasion that brought him to Ebonyi State, Obi described the late Pa Simon Okorie Abaa as the father of a longtime political associate.
“We have worked together before in the Labour Party and now we are in the NDC… We are here today to pay our last respects to his late father,” he said.
He prayed for the repose of the deceased and asked God to grant the family the strength to bear the loss.
