Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said he would accept the outcome of the 2027 presidential election if the exercise is free, fair and credible.
Obi made the statement during an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, stressing that he would respect the decision of Nigerians if they chose another candidate.
He said democracy requires candidates to accept the choice of voters when elections are conducted transparently.
“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,” Obi said.
However, the former Anambra State governor maintained that he won the 2023 presidential election.
According to him, the officials who conducted the 2023 election were aware of what happened and knew the records surrounding the outcome.
“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.
Obi also rejected the idea that Nigeria’s presidency should be determined by a “turn-by-turn” arrangement based on ethnic or religious considerations.
He argued that voters should choose leaders based on competence, qualifications and their ability to deliver good governance.
“Election should not be driven by tribe or religion. Today, in terms of qualification, I’m qualified to be president of Nigeria. I have the competence,” he said.
Obi further highlighted his educational background, saying he had attended institutions including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia and Kellogg.
He challenged anyone who doubts the authenticity of his qualifications to verify them, adding that he would withdraw from the presidential race if any of his certificates were found to be false.
The NDC candidate also criticised what he described as the lack of generational change in Nigeria’s presidency.
Obi noted that since independence in 1960, no Nigerian born after that year had become president, despite repeated claims that young people are the leaders of tomorrow.
“Since 1960, nobody born outside 1960 has been president of Nigeria. This is 66 years of independence; no other country in the world has had this happen to, and they tell youths they’re the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.
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