Obi sets conditions for accepting 2027 result
*Peter Obi
Etim Ekpimah
Peter Obi says he will accept defeat in the 2027 presidential election only if the poll is free, fair and credible, while maintaining that he won the 2023 contest.
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress made the remarks in an interview aired on Arise TV on Thursday.
Obi said he would respect Nigerians’ choice if another candidate emerged victorious through a credible election.
He said, “If the election is free, fair and credible, I will, because it’s an election. It’s the people that would say who they want to serve, and I will respect the will of the people; that’s democracy.”
However, he insisted that the outcome of the 2023 presidential election did not reflect his victory.
Obi said he would continue to maintain that he won the election, adding that those involved in conducting the poll were aware of what happened.
“I did, and I will maintain that as long as I live that I won the 2023 election. Those who conducted it know the records; they know why there was a glitch and what happened,” he said.
On calls for a “turn-by-turn” presidency, Obi argued that Nigerians should choose their leaders based on competence rather than ethnic or religious considerations.
He said he was qualified to become president and had studied governance and leadership at several institutions.
“I have the competence; I have been all over the world studying what it takes to be president of a country, and I know what I can do to turn around this country in the right direction,” he said.
Obi also cited his educational background, mentioning Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia and Kellogg among institutions he had attended.
He challenged anyone who disputed the authenticity of his qualifications to produce evidence, saying he would withdraw from the presidential race if any of his certificates were found to be false.
The former Anambra State governor also criticised the lack of younger people at the highest level of Nigeria’s political leadership.
He noted that no Nigerian born after independence had served as president, despite repeated assurances that young people represent the country’s future.
