Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has condemned the Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results, describing it as a deliberate attempt to undermine Nigeria’s democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Obi said his decision to comment on the electoral issue was delayed by the tragic killing of over 150 people in communities in Kwara State. He called for prayers for the victims and described the incident as another painful reminder of Nigeria’s deep governance crisis.
Obi described the Senate’s action as “outrageous and shameful,” arguing that the refusal to make electronic transmission compulsory removes a critical safeguard for credible elections. According to him, the controversies and disputes that characterised previous elections, particularly the 2023 general election, were largely due to the failure to fully implement electronic transmission of results. He dismissed claims of technical “glitches” during the last elections as fabricated excuses, noting that several African countries have successfully adopted electronic transmission to strengthen their democracies.
He warned that resistance to electoral reform by political leaders and the elite is dragging Nigeria backwards. He said the rejection of transparency measures entrenches disorder and creates room for manipulation by a small group acting in its own interests, rather than for the good of the country.
Obi also recalled past remarks by foreign leaders who described Nigeria as corrupt or disgraced, noting that continued opposition to reform only reinforces such perceptions. He cautioned that electoral malpractice like that witnessed in 2023 must not be repeated in 2027, stressing that Nigerians must be prepared to legitimately resist any attempt to undermine their democratic rights.
He further urged the international community to pay attention to what he described as early signs of planned future electoral manipulation, warning that such actions pose serious risks to Nigeria’s democracy and development.
Reaffirming his long-held message, Obi concluded by saying that a new Nigeria remains possible, but only if citizens collectively stand up to defend transparency, justice, and credible governance.
Obi’s full statement…
We Continue to Confirm our ‘Now Disgraced Status’ as a Nation?
Let us all pause and pray for the souls of over 150 innocent lives lost in Kwara yesterday. This tragedy is precisely why I delayed commenting on the outrageous and shameful news surrounding our electoral system. The Senate’s blatant rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results is an unforgivable act of electoral manipulation ahead of 2027.
This failure to pass a clear safeguard is nothing short of a deliberate assault on Nigeria’s democracy. By rejecting these essential transparency measures, they are eroding the very foundation of credible elections. One must ask: Does the government exist to ensure order and justice, or to institutionalise chaos? Is its purpose to serve the people, or to fulfil the sinister ambitions of a select few?
The turmoil, disputes, and manipulations that plagued past elections, especially the 2023 general election, stemmed directly from the refusal to fully implement electronic transmission. Nigerians were fed excuses of a fabricated “glitch” that never existed. While numerous African nations adopt electronic transmission to bolster democracy, Nigeria, the supposed giant of Africa, shamelessly lags behind, dragging the continent backwards.
We are wasting time hosting conferences and drafting papers on Nigeria’s problems while we, the leaders and elite, are the real issue. Our deliberate resistance to reform is pulling the country backwards, dragging us toward a primitive state of governance.
By rejecting mandatory electronic transmission—a critical safeguard for electoral integrity—we are entrenching disorder aimed at perpetuating confusion according to the whims of a small clique. Have we not reached a point where we must think seriously about the future of our country and our children? Should leadership not focus on building a credible, orderly, and livable nation for the next generation, rather than one permanently ensnared in chaos?
When the former Prime Minister of the UK, aware of our history, labelled us “fantastically corrupt,” we reacted defensively. When President Donald Trump declared us a “now disgraced nation,” we were incensed. Yet, with every act of resistance against transparency and reform, we continue to affirm their claims. Those responsible will later point fingers at others for harming the country while they quietly suffocate its potential.
Let there be no illusion, the criminality witnessed in 2023 will not be tolerated in 2027. Nigerians everywhere must start getting ready to rise up, resist, and reject the backward trajectory, legitimately and decisively reclaim our country from the clutches of deliberate malevolence.
The International community must take heed of this groundwork for continued future electoral manipulation, endangering our democracy and development.
A new Nigeria is POssible but we must all stand and fight for it. -PO
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