Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Development Congress in the 2027 election, has explained his recent statement that he was ready to die for his votes, saying the remark was symbolic and was not intended to promote violence.
Obi gave the explanation during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, saying he made the comment while responding to a participant at a recent gathering in Port Harcourt who expressed a willingness to defend his vote at all costs.
The former Anambra State governor said the statement was meant to show his determination to stand with Nigerians in ensuring that their votes are properly protected, counted and reflected in the final election results.
His comment had attracted reactions after he told supporters in Port Harcourt that he was prepared to die alongside them in the struggle to protect their votes ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Obi explained that the statement should not be interpreted as a call for confrontation or violence. He said it was a symbolic way of expressing his commitment to ensuring that Nigerians are able to vote freely and have their votes counted.
The NDC candidate also spoke about how his team plans to monitor the election results at polling units. He said arrangements were being made to enable his team to receive results directly from polling units and send them to its own situation room.
According to him, the process would operate alongside the official result transmission system of the Independent National Electoral Commission. He said having another channel for receiving results would make it possible to compare what was recorded at polling units with figures eventually announced.
Obi rejected suggestions that the proposed arrangement would amount to creating a parallel electoral system. He said the intention was simply to have an independent monitoring mechanism that would allow his team to keep track of results from polling units.
He added that other organisations could adopt similar systems to independently monitor the election and help ensure that only results originating from polling units are accepted.
The former governor said the main objective was to make the electoral process more transparent and prevent situations where figures that were not recorded at polling units would eventually be presented as official results.
Obi also said Nigeria could conduct a free and transparent election, pointing to Ghana as an example of a country where the electoral process can be properly managed.
He questioned why Nigeria should continue to struggle with problems that, in his view, could be addressed through a straightforward and transparent electoral process.
Speaking further about the 2027 election, Obi said the contest should not be viewed mainly as a battle between political parties. He described it as a broader contest between Nigerians and the government, with citizens seeking an election process that would allow their votes to determine the outcome.