Senator Victor Umeh has defended Peter Obi’s warning that Nigerians would resist any attempt to manipulate their votes in the 2027 general election, insisting that the statement should be interpreted as a demand for electoral integrity rather than a threat of violence or anarchy.
Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), had warned at a town hall meeting in Port Harcourt that Nigerians would no longer accept a situation where their votes were ignored or altered, declaring that those responsible would be held accountable.
But Umeh, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, said the former presidential candidate was merely expressing the concerns and expectations of voters ahead of the next election. Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, he maintained that the remark was neither extreme nor inciting.
According to Umeh, the warning should serve as a wake-up call to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other electoral stakeholders to ensure that votes are properly counted, recorded, transmitted and collated so that declared results reflect the actual choice of the electorate.
The lawmaker argued that credible elections remained the strongest safeguard against post-election unrest, stressing that manipulating results would create tension rather than any warning issued by political leaders. “If you want to prevent anarchy, the best way to go about it is by doing what is right,” he said.
Umeh further urged Nigerians to take responsibility for protecting the ballot by monitoring the process at polling units, while calling for effective use of electoral technology and strict adherence to voting and collation procedures. He maintained that any crisis arising from disputed results would be the consequence of electoral malpractice, not Obi’s demand that the people’s votes must count.
