Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has urged the people of Rivers State to turn out in large numbers for the 2027 general election and insist that their votes are properly counted.
Obi made the call in a statement posted on X on Friday, after attending a town hall meeting organised by the NDC in Port Harcourt on Thursday. He described the engagement as an opportunity to discuss pressing national issues, including employment, healthcare, education, security and economic opportunities.
The former Anambra State governor said any administration he leads would prioritise education, healthcare and poverty reduction as central drivers of development. He pointed to the experiences of Bangladesh in rice production, Indonesia in expanding small and medium sized enterprises, and India in reducing poverty as evidence that purposeful leadership can deliver measurable improvements in living standards.
“My greatest elation today came from the renewed commitment I saw among the good people of Rivers State to participate massively in the 2027 elections and, more importantly, to ensure that their votes are counted and the people’s mandate is respected,” Obi said.
He stressed that elected leaders can only claim legitimate mandates when they emerge from free and fair elections. “Let it be recorded that this time around, the people of Rivers State will vote, and their votes MUST count,” he declared. Obi added that Rivers State has the capacity to set the pace for excellent, free, fair and credible elections in 2027.
The town hall, according to Obi, focused on practical solutions to Nigeria’s development challenges and on strengthening citizens’ participation in governance. He thanked the NDC leadership, the party’s Rivers State governorship candidate Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Vice Presidential Candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, party officials and supporters for taking part in the engagement.
Obi said the broader objective of the opposition movement remains to rescue Nigeria, rebuild its institutions and restore hope to the people.
The remarks come as Obi and his running mate continue efforts to consolidate the NDC’s structures ahead of the 2027 polls. The former Labour Party candidate, who finished third in the 2023 presidential election, has repeatedly emphasised the need for greater transparency in the electoral process, particularly in the counting and transmission of results.
Rivers State, a key oil producing state with a history of closely contested elections, remains an important political battleground. Obi’s intervention underscores the continuing focus by opposition figures on voter mobilisation and electoral integrity more than a year before the next general election.