Peter Obi has said that election manipulation continues in Nigeria largely because many citizens do not take sufficient steps to protect their votes after casting their ballots.
The former Anambra State governor made the remarks while speaking during a visit to Washington, D.C., where he discussed the state of Nigeria’s democracy and the role of voters in ensuring credible elections.
According to Obi, politicians alone cannot guarantee transparent elections. He said citizens must become more involved in the electoral process and ensure that votes cast at polling units are properly counted and recorded.
The NDC presidential candidate argued that many Nigerians leave polling centres immediately after voting, creating opportunities for irregularities to occur. He maintained that voters should remain at their polling units until the counting process is completed, rather than leaving the responsibility entirely in the hands of election officials and political actors.
Obi also linked the problem to what he described as the transactional nature of Nigerian politics. He noted that many citizens have yet to fully recognise the impact leadership has on their daily lives and the need to actively participate in choosing credible leaders.
He further stated that Nigeria’s greatest challenge remains political leadership. According to him, the country possesses enough human and natural resources to achieve rapid development, but poor leadership has continued to hold back progress.
The former governor said Nigerians must understand that leadership decisions affect every aspect of national life, including security, the economy, education and healthcare. He argued that citizens who identify leadership as the country’s central problem would be more determined to defend their votes and demand accountability from elected officials.
Obi added that protecting votes should not be left to candidates and political parties alone. He said meaningful democratic change would only occur when ordinary citizens become active participants in safeguarding the electoral process from the polling unit level.
He called on Nigerians to take ownership of elections, insisting that stronger voter involvement would help improve the credibility of future polls and strengthen democratic governance across the country.