BY VICTOR BUORO – Presidential Candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi has issued a fierce warning to electoral manipulators ahead of the 2027 polls, declaring that there will be no hiding place for those with plans to rig the polls.
Declaring that there will be zero tolerance for electoral fraud next year, Obi said at an NDC town hall meeting in Nasarawa State that anyone planning to rig the polls will bite more than they can chew on the field
The former Anambra State governor, who spoke about his plans to tackle electoral malpractice and ensure accountability if elected president, at the forum, said: “Let me assure you, number one, this coming election, we will rig those who rig it,”
Assuredly, he said the NDC camp will not fold its hands and watch those considered political saboteurs go on rampage to scuttle the wish of Nigerians, stressing that there is no way the party would allow electoral manipulation go unchallenged in the coming general election.
“You didn’t ask about what we are going to do if people rig the election next year. Let me assure you, number one, this coming election, we will rig those who rig it.
“And let me assure you, number two, if I’m elected the President of Nigeria, nobody will rig elections in this country again because the first thing we need to do is to strengthen our parties, strengthen the process,” he said.
The NDC Standard bearer, who unveiled an elaborate and uncompromising blueprint to tackle deep-rooted malpractice, said his track record as the candidate of absolute electoral accountability and transparency speaks for itself.
He told the fired-up crowd that the time has come for all-well meaning Nigerians to shift from passive protest to aggressive defence of the ballot boing x, saying, his administration would enforce the rule of law without discrimination, stressing that no individual would be above the law, regardless of position or status.
According to him, “Under my watch, Nigeria must be a country that has a law and from number one person to the last person must obey the rule of law. Nobody will be above the law. Nobody will behave rascally.”
The former governor, who pledged to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system to prevent manipulation and ensure that anyone who interfered with the electoral process faced the consequences, said: “And let me assure you, number two, if elected the president of Nigeria, nobody will rig the election in this country again.”
Also pledging that political officeholders and electoral officials who manipulated election results would face prosecution and imprisonment under his administration, Obi said: “Any high-ranking official, anybody who is involved with the election, under my watch, that rigs the election, will go to jail.”
The NDC presidential flag-bearer said there must also be focus on transparency, including verifiable educational standard for all future political aspirants, adding that it is important to have a firm line at mandatory primary and secondary schooling as the baseline requirements for leadership.
He said: “For you to contest the election, you must have attended a primary school, you must have attended a secondary school, and it will be visible, it will be clear.”
Maintaining that his political ambition is driven by a desire to change the country and build a system in which electoral rules were respected, Obi said: “That’s why we are doing what we are doing. We want to change Nigeria. A new Nigeria is possible, and that new Nigeria will be OK”.
