2027: Nigerians will determine what INEC does — Peter Obi

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 general election, Peter Obi, has said the credibility of the next election will depend largely on Nigerians, insisting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will act according to the resolve of the electorate.

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, Chief Linus Okorie, at Isiama Primary School in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Speaking on the 2027 elections, the former Anambra State governor said his confidence lies in Nigerians’ willingness to defend their votes rather than in the electoral commission alone.

“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,” he said.

Obi urged Nigerians to reflect on the country’s current state and decide whether they were satisfied with its direction.

“It is for Nigerians to look at what is happening in the country today and ask themselves what the future holds for our children in this enterprise called Nigeria. Are we going to continue in this direction? Anybody talking about changing Nigeria today is making the ultimate sacrifice because we cannot continue like this,” he added.

The former governor also expressed concern over the country’s worsening economic situation, lamenting the rising levels of poverty and hunger.

According to him, Nigerians do not need reports from international organisations to understand the severity of the crisis because the hardship is visible across communities.

“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.

“They are saying that about 70 million Nigerians are facing acute hunger. What are we going to do about it? Are we going to continue like this? No. That is not possible,” he said.

Reacting to concerns over possible intimidation of opposition supporters during the election, Obi argued that Nigerians were already being subjected to hardship through the prevailing economic conditions.

“For me, every Nigerian is already being harassed by hunger. People are being harassed by the worsening situation in the country. Everybody is affected.

“It is time for Nigerians to tell those who are harassing us that enough is enough,” he stated.

Obi also spoke on his relationship with Chief Linus Okorie, describing it as longstanding.

He noted that they had previously worked together in the Labour Party before joining the NDC and said he attended the burial to pay his final respects to Okorie’s late father.

He prayed for the peaceful repose of the deceased and asked God to grant the bereaved family the strength to bear the loss.