Peter Obi urges voters to ‘punish’ politicians who violate peace accord

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has called on Nigerians to vote against politicians who fail to uphold electoral peace agreements in the 2027 general elections. The call was made during the National Peace Accord signing ceremony in Abuja, organized by the National Peace Committee and The Kukah Centre. Obi emphasized that politicians who break their promises to maintain peace should face electoral consequences, stating, "The punishment is that Nigerians should not vote for them."

The former Anambra State governor also urged political parties and candidates to engage in peaceful, issue-based campaigns focused on the concerns of Nigerians. "We have a peaceful, issue-based campaign. We must, for the sake of this country, ensure that our conduct reflects the office we’re seeking. We must do the right thing and campaign on issues that Nigerians are going through today," he said.

Obi stressed that no Nigerian should lose their life due to an election and urged politicians to behave responsibly without waiting for a peace agreement. He also called for the families of those who died during the recent Osun State governorship election to be visited and supported, saying, "Let us not forget those who died in ensuring that the election in Osun was achieved, the way it went.

We should visit them, console their families, remain prayerful and conduct ourselves in a way that in our democracy, nobody needs to die for an election."

Regarding the electoral process, Obi still believed in it, stating that he wanted to change it. "Because I want to change the process, I have to go through it, so I have to believe in it," he said. His primary concern ahead of the 2027 elections was ensuring that Nigerians could freely choose their leaders and have their votes counted. "I don’t have any fear, except to say that please, for the sake of the children of Nigeria, can we have an election where people’s vote will count?" he asked.