The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has urged residents of Rivers State to participate massively in the 2027 general election and ensure their votes are counted.
Obi made the call in a statement shared on X on Friday after attending a town hall meeting organised by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
The former Anambra State governor said the engagement provided an avenue to discuss challenges affecting Nigerians, including employment, healthcare, education, security and economic opportunities.
He said that if elected, his administration would make education, healthcare and poverty reduction key priorities in driving national development.
According to Obi, the experiences of countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and India showed that purposeful leadership could transform economies and improve citizens’ living conditions.
He cited Bangladesh’s progress in rice production, Indonesia’s growth in small and medium-sized enterprises and India’s efforts to reduce poverty as examples of how focused leadership could deliver significant results.
“My greatest elation today came from the renewed commitment I saw among the good people of Rivers State to participate massively in the 2027 elections and, more importantly, to ensure that their votes are counted and the people’s mandate is respected,” Obi said.
He urged Rivers voters to use the 2027 election to demand a credible electoral process, stressing that elected leaders could only claim legitimate mandates when they emerged from free and fair elections.
“Let it be recorded that this time around, the people of Rivers State will vote, and their votes MUST count,” he declared.
Obi also said Rivers State was well positioned to lead the push for credible elections in 2027.
“Rivers State can and should set the pace for excellent, free, fair, and credible elections in 2027,” he said.
He added that only leaders who emerged through a transparent electoral process could legitimately be regarded as elected public officials.
According to Obi, the NDC town hall focused on identifying practical solutions to Nigeria’s development challenges and promoting greater citizen participation in governance.
He thanked the NDC leadership, its Rivers State governorship candidate, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Vice-Presidential Candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as well as party officials and supporters who participated in the engagement.
Obi said the broader objective of the opposition movement remained to “rescue Nigeria, rebuild our institutions, and restore hope to our people.”