Obi, Ameh demand free, fair 2027 Elections, urge Nigerians to protect their votes
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, and the party’s Kogi East Senatorial candidate, High Chief Peter Ameh, have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the 2027 general elections are free, fair, transparent and credible.
The duo made the call in Ogugu, Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, during a thank-you tour organised for Ameh following his emergence as the NDC’s senatorial candidate for Kogi East.
Obi, who received a warm welcome from thousands of supporters in Ogugu, urged INEC to resist attempts to manipulate the electoral process, insisting that the will of Nigerian voters must prevail.
He also called for issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections, urging presidential candidates to move beyond political rhetoric and engage directly with Nigerians on the challenges confronting them.
“The reception is very warm. What is most important is that we want this campaign to be issue-based. We want all candidates to go round Nigeria and ask questions about the challenges confronting the people,” Obi said.
He explained that he had stopped at Ugbolafo and Otukpa Junction on his way to Kogi State to interact with elderly residents and hear about their concerns.
“When I was coming to Kogi State today, I stopped at Ugbolafo, Otukpa Junction, and asked some of our elderly people what their challenges were. This is what I want other presidential candidates to do,” he said.
Obi said his nationwide engagements were aimed at understanding the challenges facing Nigerians and developing practical solutions, particularly in education, security, agriculture and employment.
“I am moving around Nigeria to see how we can do the right thing. I want the next set of governance to focus on how our children will be in school, how our environment will be secured, and how our people can earn a decent living,” he said.
Speaking with journalists, the former Anambra State governor expressed concern over the country’s worsening economic and social conditions, saying Nigeria urgently needed visionary leadership capable of reversing the situation.
Obi said his major concern ahead of the 2027 election was not the outcome but whether Nigerians would be able to freely cast and defend their votes.
“I am not worried about what the outcome of the 2027 general election will be. What worries me is the people and how they will protect their votes on election day,” he said.
“The votes of the people must be counted. There is hunger and poverty in the land, and that is why I came here to see what we can do to ameliorate the suffering of our people.”
He urged Nigerians to insist on credible elections and elect leaders based on competence, capacity, character, compassion and commitment to national development.
“My charge to the people here is that they must ensure that there is a free, fair and credible election. This time around, our votes must count. Nigerians must elect those who will lead them,” Obi said.
“They must do it based on competence, capacity, character, compassion and commitment to turning Nigeria around.”
Obi also lamented the poor living conditions in rural communities, despite Nigeria’s vast agricultural potential.
“As I moved around, I felt pain seeing how Nigerians are living. Look at our rural areas with huge farmlands. Nobody is supporting the farmers in all ramifications to enable them to produce the food we need to feed the nation,” he said.
He reiterated the need for leadership with a clear vision and the capacity to reverse what he described as Nigeria’s backward trajectory.
Ameh, in his remarks, said Kogi East had no justification for remaining impoverished given its fertile agricultural land and abundant mineral resources.
“Kogi East is really blessed. We should not have decayed infrastructure. Despite having coal in Ankpa, the roads are bad, and people cannot access Enjema properly, despite over 200 trucks leaving the coal site daily,” Ameh said.
He described the situation as painful but maintained that effective representation in the National Assembly could help address the region’s infrastructure and development challenges.
“It is painful that we find ourselves in this deplorable state, but we can do something about it. We can have representatives in the legislature who will be at the National Assembly to speak for the people and raise the challenges confronting our communities,” he added.
Ameh also criticised the state of primary healthcare facilities across Kogi State, describing the situation as unacceptable.
“Our primary healthcare system here in Kogi is dead across the nine local government areas. It is time for us to look at the track records of the candidates contesting elections and assess who can genuinely represent the people at the National Assembly,” he said.
The senatorial candidate said he had placed the interests of the people above personal ambition, stressing that effective representation must prioritise the welfare and future of constituents.
“For me, I have already buried my personal interest in ensuring that the interests of the people become our interest. The people must come first,” Ameh said.
He further alleged that previous votes cast by the people had been “stolen”, urging voters to remain vigilant and protect their ballots during the 2027 elections.
“They have served us before, but these votes were stolen. Today, we are charging the people to go out, vote and protect their votes because it is through the votes they cast that we will have good roads and basic amenities that will provide for our children and secure their future,” he said.
Ameh also called for renewed investment in public healthcare and education, saying Kogi East and the wider state needed leaders with proven records of performance and the capacity to deliver.
“It is necessary that our public health institutions and schools continue to have a new lease of life. Our people understand that it is time to bring new people who are experienced, who have been able to transform their areas of responsibility and have demonstrated capacity at various levels of leadership,” he said.
“Such people should come on board and protect our collective interests.”
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