The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has vowed to prosecute and imprison anyone found guilty of electoral fraud if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
Obi made the pledge on Wednesday during an NDC town hall meeting in Nasarawa State, where he addressed party supporters on electoral integrity and the need to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system.
Responding to a question about election rigging, the former Anambra State governor said his party would not allow electoral manipulation to go unchallenged in the next general election.
“You didn’t ask about what we are going to do if people rig election next year. Let me assure you, number one, this coming election, we will rig those who rig it,” he said.
Obi further promised to introduce measures to prevent election manipulation if elected president, identifying stronger political parties and reforms to the electoral process as key priorities.
“And let me assure you number two, if I’m elected the President of Nigeria, nobody will rig election in this country again because the first thing we need to do is to strengthen our parties, strengthen the process,” he added.
The NDC candidate also called for stricter requirements for individuals seeking elective offices, proposing that candidates should demonstrate that they attended both primary and secondary schools.
“Our laws will be strict. For you to contest election, you must have attended a primary school, you must have attended a secondary school and it will be visible, it will be clear,” Obi said.
He warned that anyone who falsified academic certificates or misrepresented their educational background would face imprisonment.
“If you didn’t attend any of them or forge your certificate, you go to jail,” he declared.
Obi extended the warning to officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other individuals involved in election administration, insisting that anyone found guilty of manipulating election results under his administration would be prosecuted.
“Any INEC official, anybody who is involved with elections under my watch that rigs elections will go to jail,” he said.
He maintained that his proposed approach would be guided by the rule of law, stressing that no individual, regardless of status or position, should be exempt from accountability.
“Under my watch, Nigeria must be a country that has a law, and both from the number one person to the last person must obey the rule of law,” Obi said.
“Nobody must be above the law; nobody will behave rascally.”
The former Anambra governor said his presidential ambition was driven by the desire to transform Nigeria and establish a system in which electoral laws and democratic principles are respected.
“That’s why we are doing what we are doing. We want to change Nigeria. A new Nigeria is possible, and that new Nigeria will be OK,” he added.
