Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), announced that he would jail anyone who rigged an election if he were elected president. The statement was made during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday, 24 September 2026, as he outlined his stance on electoral integrity ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
“I’ve said it, and I’ll say it again: if I am the serving president of this country, whoever rigs elections will be in jail. Even for one vote, you will be in jail,” Obi said.
Obi also pledged to safeguard opposition parties from harassment and to involve them in decisions on matters of national importance. “No political party will be harassed; we will support them,” he said, adding that the administration would work with opposition parties on state matters and invite them to discussions. He further stated that opposition politicians would be consulted when he travelled abroad, arguing that governance should include all political interests.
In a separate promise, Obi said he would remain accessible and spend most of his time in Nigeria if elected. “Nobody will look for me and say, ‘Where is Peter?’ I won’t be on holiday; I must be in Nigeria,” he declared.
Obi criticised restrictions on campaign activities, recalling his tenure as Anambra State governor when he allowed political opponents to campaign freely. He cited former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, who received Obi’s convoy for a campaign visit to Anambra, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom Obi accompanied while campaigning for Andy Uba, despite supporting a different political position. “That’s democracy, because I wanted the people to vote. There was no issue,” Obi said.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
