Do Right or Face Resistance – Obi Receives Backing Over Warning to Election Riggers

Senator Victor Umeh has defended Peter Obi’s warning that Nigerians will resist any attempt to manipulate votes in the 2027 general election, describing the statement as a demand for credible elections rather than a threat to public order.

Umeh, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, said electoral authorities should regard Obi’s remarks as a reminder that voters expect their ballots to be properly counted and reflected in the final results.

Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), issued the warning during a town hall meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he said Nigerians would no longer tolerate the manipulation of election results.

“Our votes this time must count, and whoever doesn’t count it, we will count the person,” Obi said.

The comment attracted attention because of its suggestion that voters could take action if their ballots were not accurately counted.

However, speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Morning Brief’ on Monday, Umeh rejected the suggestion that Obi was inciting violence.

“I think the statement he made is not extreme. It is not inciting in any form. He merely stated what the Nigerian electorate will be expecting in 2027,” the senator said.

According to Umeh, the statement should prompt the Independent National Electoral Commission and other stakeholders to ensure that the electoral process is transparent from accreditation and voting to sorting, counting and collation.

He said Nigerians would be less likely to reject election results if they were convinced that the process had been conducted properly.

“There will be no room for fraud or manipulation of election results, if taken further, it is a call on the electoral umpire to ensure that what will come out of that process will be genuine and real,” Umeh said.

The lawmaker described Obi’s position as “a call to patriotic duty to the electoral commission to ensure that they don’t create a situation where people will doubt the results they will declare.”

He also urged voters to monitor the counting and recording of ballots at polling units and ensure that the prescribed procedures were followed.

“So, whether he says the people will count the votes or we count them is a call to duty and awakening the consciousness of everybody to help to protect the sanctity of the ballot box,” Umeh said.

The senator maintained that the most effective way to prevent post-election unrest was to conduct an election that citizens could trust.

“If you want to prevent anarchy, the best way to go about it is by doing what is right,” he said.

Umeh further argued that any crisis arising from the 2027 election would be caused by electoral manipulation, not by Obi’s warning.

“When you manipulate and give false results, you are the one inviting the anarchy not Peter Obi, who is saying that the right thing should be done,” he said.

Obi had earlier said he was prepared to risk his life to protect the outcome of the election.

At the Port Harcourt town hall, organised under the theme “Obi Talks Nigeria,” he told voters not to allow intimidation at polling stations.

“Nobody will intimidate us again at the polling booths,” Obi said.

He noted that voters at most polling units outnumber election officials and security personnel, urging them to remain vigilant and protect their ballots.

The NDC candidate also expressed concern about possible attempts to interfere with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal, known as IReV. He said his supporters would be prepared for technical problems or deliberate efforts to frustrate the electronic transmission of results.

“There will be so many IReVs this time. This time around, if there is a network glitch, we will give them another one that has no glitch,” he said.

Obi said continued electoral malpractice would deepen the hardship facing Nigerians and called on citizens to take collective responsibility for changing the country.

“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,” he declared.

Meanwhile, Obi’s running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, warned politicians against assuming that control of a large number of states would guarantee victory in the 2027 presidential election.

Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, referred to the 2015 election, when then-President Goodluck Jonathan lost to Muhammadu Buhari, despite being the incumbent.

“Jonathan was the president, the sitting president lost the election. I’ve given you an example, especially those who think because they have over 30 governors, they cannot lose the election. That was a very big mistake,” Kwankwaso said.

He criticised the performance of some governors, particularly in northern Nigeria, and claimed that public dissatisfaction could make it difficult for some of them and their parties to campaign effectively.

“By the grace of God, all of them, especially the ones in the North, because I studied the trend, those governors and their party have performed woefully, to the extent that it is very difficult for them even to come out and campaign,” he said.

Kwankwaso urged voters to examine the records and capacity of candidates before deciding whom to support, warning that electing inexperienced leaders could have serious consequences.

He also questioned the impact of increased government revenue, recalling that states and local governments received far smaller allocations when he became governor in 1999.