Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Development Congress (NDC), has clarified his recent statement that he was prepared to “die” for his votes, explaining that the remark was symbolic and was not intended to encourage violence during the election.
Obi made the clarification during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, following reactions to comments he made at a recent gathering in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The former Anambra State governor had told supporters that he was ready to “die” to protect his votes in the 2027 presidential election. The statement generated considerable debate, with some interpreting it as a suggestion that his supporters should be prepared for confrontation to defend the outcome of the election.
Obi, however, explained that the statement was made in response to a comment from a participant at the Port Harcourt gathering who said Nigerians were prepared to die to defend their votes.
According to him, the event was primarily an opportunity for him to listen to Nigerians rather than deliver a conventional political speech.
“Well, you see, people didn’t listen. What I did in Port Harcourt is more of listening to the people. It wasn’t me talking. They were asking questions,” Obi said.
He explained that after one of the participants declared that Nigerians were prepared to die to defend their votes, he responded by expressing his willingness to stand with them.
“And one of them said, we are prepared to die this time to defend our votes. And I said to encourage them that I’m prepared to die with them. It’s symbolic,” he said.
Obi stressed that the fundamental message behind the statement was his determination to ensure that votes legitimately cast by Nigerians are properly counted, recorded and protected.
“What we are saying is that we are prepared to ensure that our vote counts, and it must count,” he added.
The presidential candidate said his campaign’s focus would be on strengthening mechanisms for monitoring election results at polling units and ensuring that the figures announced at the grassroots level accurately reflect the votes cast by citizens.
He said his team would deploy systems capable of monitoring results from polling units and transmitting them to its situation room.
According to Obi, the process would begin at each polling unit, where votes should be counted openly, properly recorded and transmitted through the official electoral system.
“We must make sure that at every polling unit, the votes are counted, the votes are recorded properly, the votes are transmitted properly,” he said.
He further disclosed that his team intended to establish what he described as a dual transmission arrangement, whereby results would be transmitted through the designated Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) platform while simultaneously being made available to his campaign’s monitoring structure.
“And we will have even a dual transmission so that as it’s going to the proper designated INEC portal, it’s also being transmitted where the people can see it,” Obi said.
The interviewer subsequently questioned whether the proposed alternative transmission and monitoring mechanism could amount to the establishment of a parallel electoral system.
Obi rejected the suggestion, explaining that the proposed arrangement would not involve conducting a separate election or replacing INEC’s statutory responsibilities.
“No, not at all,” he said.
He maintained that the purpose of the system would be to independently document what happens at polling units and provide an additional means of verifying official results.
“All we are saying is that this time around, we will make sure that in every polling unit, we must have a system that transmits to our own situation room the correct results,” he explained.
Obi added that his campaign would not be the only political organisation or civil society group seeking to independently monitor the election process.
He said other organisations could establish similar monitoring systems as part of efforts to promote transparency and accountability.
The NDC candidate said the key objective was to ensure that election results originated from actual votes cast at polling units rather than from figures introduced or altered at subsequent stages of the collation process.
“And I’m sure there’s so many other agencies that intend to do the same thing. So we’re not going to have a situation where somebody just pronounces something that didn’t emanate from the polling unit,” he said.
“Our task is to make sure that the right things are done,” Obi added.
The former governor’s comments come amid continuing debate over electoral transparency and the credibility of elections in Nigeria.
The 2027 presidential election is expected to attract intense political competition, with political parties and candidates already beginning to mobilise supporters and develop strategies for monitoring the electoral process.
Obi said he believed Nigeria could organise elections that were free, fair and transparent, arguing that there was nothing inherently difficult about conducting a credible election.
“There’s nothing difficult in having a simple, free, transparent election. It happens in Ghana, across here. It happens everywhere,” he said.
He questioned why Nigeria should continue to experience controversies surrounding electoral processes when other African countries have demonstrated that transparent elections are achievable.
“So why would we always be involved in something that is negative?” he asked.
Obi’s comments also reflected his broader argument that the 2027 election should be viewed primarily as a contest about the direction of the country rather than simply a struggle among political parties.
He said the election would involve Nigerians making a choice about the performance and direction of government.
“This election, remember, is not about parties. It’s people versus the government,” Obi said.
He added that he believed Nigeria could make significant progress if citizens were able to exercise their franchise freely and if their votes were accurately counted and respected.
The clarification of his “ready to die” remark is likely to ease concerns that the statement was intended as a call for supporters to engage in physical confrontation during the election.
Instead, Obi presented the phrase as a symbolic expression of determination to defend the integrity of votes through lawful monitoring, documentation and accountability.
His emphasis on polling-unit results also places electoral transparency at the centre of his campaign message.
For Obi, ensuring that every vote is properly counted and transmitted is essential to building public confidence in the electoral process.
As political activities ahead of 2027 intensify, his comments underscore the importance of peaceful participation, credible election administration and respect for the choice of voters.
The NDC candidate maintained that the ultimate responsibility of political actors should be to ensure that the will of Nigerians, as expressed through their votes, is accurately reflected in the final outcome of the election.
