Posted by Chinenye on Fri 25th Sep, 2026 - tori.ng
Peter Obi has made a strong pledge on how he says elections would be handled under his presidency, warning that anyone caught manipulating votes would face jail.
(Peter Obi. Photo by Arise News)
Peter Obi says if he becomes president, he will send election riggers to jail no matter what. Even if someone steals just one vote, they're going to prison.
The Nigerian Democratic Congress candidate made this promise Thursday while talking about fair elections and how he plans to run the country if he wins in 2027.
Obi also said opposition parties won't be bullied under his watch.
He'll actually work with them and include them in major government decisions.
When he travels out of the country, opposition members will have a say in what happens at home.
He wants everybody involved because the country belongs to everyone.
He promised to be present in Nigeria and available to Nigerians.
No long vacations abroad.
People should know where their president is at all times, he said.
Obi complained that some state governors are stopping him from campaigning freely.
He said candidates should be allowed to campaign anywhere, no matter which party they belong to.
When he was Anambra governor, he let his opponents campaign in the state without problems.
He even gave his car to former Lagos Governor Raji Fashola when Fashola came to campaign against him.
He walked alongside former President Olusegun Obasanjo when Obasanjo campaigned for someone else in Anambra.
That's what democracy looks like, Obi said.
On the debt row over his time as Anambra governor, Obi said he never borrowed money from any bank or institution on behalf of the state.
When he left office, the state wasn't owing salaries, pensions, or contractors who had finished their work.
The World Bank and other development agencies that people keep mentioning aren't his personal loans.
They're development programmes the Federal Government set up.
Anambra had about $30 million in foreign debt when he left in March 2014, and the state had over $150 million in savings that could have covered any obligations.
He urged media to check the facts with the World Bank and Nigerian banks.
He has no problem with Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo and considers him a brother.
Obi also said President Bola Tinubu needs to spend more time in Nigeria instead of staying abroad.
The president should be present during difficult times, not just leave everything to other people.
On the Obedient Kwankwasiyya Movement's campaign council, Obi said he didn't approve it and wasn't even aware of it until now.
The group should just be a support network, not a separate political structure claiming to work for him.
He said he's open to talking with other opposition candidates about working together, even if it means one of them steps back.
He's not desperate to be president. He's desperate to see Nigeria work properly.
He wants all opposition parties to focus on making elections free, fair and free from violence, and talking about real issues that affect ordinary people.