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The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has declared that he is prepared to sacrifice his life to ensure that votes cast in the 2027 general election are protected.
Obi made the remark on Thursday during a town hall meeting tagged \"Obi Talks Nigeria\" in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he urged Nigerians to resist voter intimidation and prevent a repeat of the irregularities that marred the 2023 general election.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate alleged that the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload results electronically through the IReV portal in 2023 undermined confidence in the electoral process.
Obi, who challenged the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in court alongside former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar before the courts upheld President Bola Tinubu\'s victory, said those seeking to manipulate the next election would not succeed.
He urged supporters to turn out in large numbers and defend their votes peacefully on election day.
\"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,\" Obi said.
He added, “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 said his supporters would put in place adequate coordination to prevent intimidation and ensure transparency during the election.
He also claimed that if there were attempts to frustrate electronic transmission of results through the IReV portal, alternative technologies would be deployed.
\"Yes, they will try to manipulate the IReV. But let me tell you, it will not be easy this time. There will be so many IReVs this time. If there is a network glitch, we will give them another one that has no glitch,\" he said.
\"By allowing them to continue, that glitch will glitch our lives. That is what we are suffering today,\" he added.
Also speaking at the event, the NDC vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, urged Nigerians to elect competent leaders capable of addressing the country\'s challenges.
Kwankwaso dismissed suggestions that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) could not lose the 2027 election because of the number of states under its control.
He cited the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 despite being the incumbent, saying political dominance by governors does not guarantee electoral victory.
\"I believe that Nigerians must not make mistakes again. This is the time to get it right. Anything to the contrary will be too costly for the people and the country,\" Kwankwaso said.
