By Sandra Kenneth
Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has clarified his recent statement declaring a readiness to “die” for his votes, emphasizing that the remark was purely symbolic and not an incitement to violence.
Speaking during an interview on Thursday, the former Anambra State governor explained that the comment was made in response to an attendee at a recent interactive gathering in Port Harcourt who expressed a willingness to die to defend their vote.
“People didn’t listen. What I did in Port Harcourt was more of listening to the people,” Obi said. “One of them said, ‘We are prepared to die this time to defend our votes,’ and I said, to encourage them, that I am prepared to die with them. It’s symbolic. What we are saying is that we are prepared to ensure that our vote counts, and it must count.”
Addressing concerns over electoral integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections, Obi outlined plans for a comprehensive monitoring network to secure polling unit results. He revealed that his team intends to deploy an independent result-transmission process operating alongside official channels to send verified polling unit data directly to a dedicated situation room.
“We must make sure that at every polling unit, the votes are counted, recorded properly, and transmitted properly,” Obi stated. “We will have even a dual transmission so that as it’s going to the designated INEC portal, it’s also being transmitted where the people can see it.”
When asked whether establishing an independent monitoring setup constituted running a parallel electoral system, Obi dismissed the notion, stressing that the initiative aims to enforce transparency rather than challenge official authority.
“No, not at all,” he replied. “All we are saying is that this time around, we will make sure that in every polling unit, we have a system that transmits the correct results to our situation room… so we don’t have a situation where somebody just pronounces something that didn’t emanate from the polling unit.”
Citing electoral processes in neighboring Ghana as evidence that transparent elections are achievable in West Africa, Obi framed the upcoming 2027 contest as a broader civic struggle.
“This election is not about parties,” Obi noted. “It’s people versus the government.”
