Presidential hopeful Peter Obi has issued a stern warning to anyone planning to undermine the integrity of the 2027 elections, vowing that those who tamper with votes will face the full weight of the law.
Obi made the declaration in a statement posted on his official X handle on Monday, February 16, titled “Our Votes Must Count,” in which he urged Nigerians to remain at polling units after voting to personally witness the counting and transmission of results.
“Unlike in the past, in 2027 our votes MUST count, and all those who are there not to count the votes will be counted among those destroying Nigeria,” Obi said.
The former Anambra governor called on voters across the country to take ownership of the electoral process by refusing to leave polling units until results have been counted and transmitted.
“I encourage everyone to remain at the polling units after voting to count and witness the counting and transmission of results,” he said.
Obi reserved his harshest words for those he accused of working to frustrate the will of voters, warning that they would not escape accountability.
“Those who refuse to allow the votes count will be made to count the full weight of the law against rigging,” he said.
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The presidential aspirant, who recently defected from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress, left no room for ambiguity about the consequences awaiting anyone who attempts to rig the elections.
“Let me reiterate: if you do not count our votes, we will count you among those who destroy our democracy, thereby destroying our future, and you must answer to the law,” Obi said.
The statement comes amid growing public anxiety over the transparency of future elections, particularly following the Senate’s controversial handling of electronic result transmission provisions in the amended Electoral Act.
Critics have raised concerns that the legislature’s decision to allow manual collation as a fallback could create room for manipulation.
Obi’s message also follows his recent revelation that he left the Labour Party after learning that INEC would not recognise the party’s leadership as long as he remained a member, an allegation he described as a deliberate attempt by the federal government to keep him off the ballot.
The ADC presidential hopeful has consistently demanded real-time electronic transmission of election results, saying at his recent declaration in Uyo that whoever fails to transmit results would themselves be “transmitted.”