RismadarVoice Reporters, June 12, 2026
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has argued that electoral malpractice persists in Nigeria largely because citizens fail to adequately safeguard their votes after elections.
Speaking during an engagement with Nigerians in Washington, D.C., Obi stressed that the responsibility of ensuring credible elections extends beyond casting ballots, urging voters to remain at polling units until the voting process is fully concluded.
According to him, votes can only have a meaningful impact when citizens actively monitor and defend the electoral process. He maintained that political leaders alone cannot guarantee transparent elections without public participation.
Obi said he would make every effort to protect the integrity of votes ahead of the 2027 general elections but emphasised that Nigerians must also play their part by insisting that their votes are properly counted.
He criticised the tendency of some voters to leave polling centres immediately after voting, noting that many later resort to prayer gatherings while neglecting their civic responsibility to oversee the counting process.
“Elections are manipulated because people allow them to be manipulated,” Obi said. “If citizens vote and remain at their polling units to ensure transparency, their votes will count. However, many people vote and leave, only to attend night vigils and pray instead of staying to protect the electoral process.”
The former Anambra State governor also reiterated his long-held position that Nigeria’s greatest challenge is poor leadership. He argued that the country is richly endowed with resources and potential but continues to struggle due to leadership failures.
Obi maintained that addressing the leadership deficit remains essential to unlocking Nigeria’s development and achieving sustainable progress.
