Your Votes Will Count If You Insist, Obi Tells Citizens
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has said elections in the country are often manipulated because citizens fail to take ownership of the electoral process and defend their votes, declaring that the ballot will only count when voters are determined to make it count.
The former Anambra State governor made the remarks during a recent visit to Washington, D.C., in a video that began trending on Saturday, where he addressed challenges facing Nigeria’s democracy and the role of citizens in securing credible polls. Addressing a group of Nigerians in Washington, Obi said votes would count if Nigerians protect their votes at polling units after casting their ballots.
According to Obi, politicians alone cannot guarantee free and fair elections unless voters resolve to protect the sanctity of their ballots. “Elections are rigged in Nigeria because Nigerians want it to be rigged,” he said. “It’s as simple as ABC. I will do whatever is possible to protect the votes, but unless Nigerians decide that their votes will count, it will not count.” He linked the pledge to the next general election, saying he would do everything possible to protect votes in the 2027 poll, but that the outcome rested on the determination of voters.
The former governor urged Nigerians to remain at their polling units after voting and monitor the counting process rather than leaving immediately. “If you vote and you stay in your polling booth and say that the votes must be counted here, it will be counted, but because our politics is transactional, the average Nigerian doesn’t know who is his problem,” he said.
He argued that many voters abandon the process too soon. “An average Nigerian will vote and then go home or go to night vigil, whilst his night vigil should actually be to stay and let them count his votes,” Obi said. “But he will vote and go to night vigil on Saturday and start praying because he thinks he is the only one that God created, that God will solve all his problems.”
Obi maintained that Nigeria’s biggest challenge remains poor leadership, insisting the country has the human and natural resources required for development. “Nigeria has only one problem, leadership. Political leadership. Every other thing God gave to Nigeria,” he said. “I can tell you that Nigeria is more blessed than this country. So, if Nigerians know that their problem is leadership, they will address it and insist on getting good leadership. So everybody should be part of protecting that vote.”
The comments come against the backdrop of Obi’s longstanding position on electoral integrity. The Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja dismissed his allegation that the 2023 presidential election was rigged in favour of President Bola Tinubu, holding that he failed to list the specific polling units where the alleged infractions occurred. More recently, in December 2025, Obi criticised the House of Representatives for declining to criminalise vote buying at the level of party primaries, describing the decision as a setback to democratic reform.
He stressed that safeguarding the electoral process should not be left to politicians alone, adding that meaningful change would come only when citizens actively defend their votes and demand accountable leadership.