The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), , has declared that elections in Nigeria are often manipulated because citizens fail to take ownership of the electoral process and actively protect their votes.
Obi made the remarks during a recent visit to Washington, D.C. in a video that began trending on Saturday, where he spoke extensively on the challenges confronting Nigeria’s democracy and the responsibility of citizens in ensuring credible elections.
According to the former Anambra State governor, politicians alone cannot guarantee free, fair and transparent elections unless voters are willing to defend the sanctity of their ballots.
“Elections are rigged in Nigeria because Nigerians want it to be rigged. It’s as simple as ABC. I will do whatever is possible to protect the votes, but unless Nigerians decide that their votes will count, it will not count,” Obi said.
He urged voters not to abandon polling units immediately after casting their ballots but to remain behind and monitor the counting process to ensure that every vote is properly accounted for.
“If you vote and you stay in your polling booth and say that the votes must be counted here, it will be counted. But because our politics is transactional, the average Nigerian doesn’t know who his problem is.
“An average Nigerian will vote and
then go home or go to night vigil, whereas his night vigil should actually be to stay and ensure his votes are counted. Instead, he votes and leaves, hoping and praying that things will change,” he stated.Obi further argued that Nigeria’s greatest challenge is poor leadership, insisting that the country is richly blessed with both human and natural resources capable of transforming it into a prosperous nation.
“The question Nigerians should ask themselves today is: what is the problem of Nigeria? Nigeria has only one problem — leadership. Political leadership. Every other thing God has already given to Nigeria.
“I can tell you that Nigeria is more blessed than many countries. If Nigerians truly understand that leadership is the problem, they will insist on electing competent leaders and protecting every vote,” he added.
The NDC presidential candidate stressed that safeguarding the electoral process should not be left solely in the hands of politicians, maintaining that meaningful national transformation can only occur when citizens actively participate in defending their votes and demanding accountable leadership.
His comments have since sparked widespread reactions online, with supporters and critics debating his assertion that electoral malpractice persists largely because citizens fail to remain vigilant throughout the voting and counting process.
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