Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, and the party’s Kogi East senatorial candidate, Peter Ameh, have called for a credible electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and ensure their votes are properly counted.
The two politicians made the call on Sunday at Ogugu in Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State during a thank-you tour organised for Ameh after he emerged as the NDC candidate for the Kogi East Senatorial District.
Obi, who was received by thousands of supporters at the event, said the Independent National Electoral Commission must guarantee an electoral process that is free, fair, transparent and credible. He urged the electoral body to resist any attempt by political actors to manipulate the outcome of the elections, insisting that the choice expressed by voters must ultimately determine who assumes public office.
The former presidential candidate said his focus ahead of 2027 was not simply on electoral victory but on changing the way political campaigns engage with Nigerians. He advocated issue-based campaigns in which candidates would directly confront the economic and social challenges affecting citizens rather than merely asking voters to identify their problems.
“The reception is very warm. What is most important is that we want this campaign to be issue-based,” Obi said, urging presidential candidates to travel across the country and engage directly with communities.
He said he had demonstrated that approach during his own journey to Kogi State, explaining that he stopped at Ugbolafo and Otukpa Junction to speak with elderly residents about the difficulties confronting them.
Obi argued that presidential candidates should make similar efforts to understand the realities faced by Nigerians, particularly people living outside major urban centres. He said the country’s next government must concentrate on ensuring that children have access to education, protecting the environment and creating conditions that allow citizens to earn decent incomes.
“I am moving around Nigeria to see how we can do the right thing,” he said, adding that the priorities of governance should include keeping children in school, securing the environment and improving the livelihoods of Nigerians.
Obi shifts focus from election outcome to voters
Speaking separately to journalists, Obi said he was less concerned about predicting the outcome of the 2027 election than about whether Nigerians would be able to exercise their franchise and have their votes respected.
“I am not worried about what the outcome of the 2027 general election will be. What worries me is the people and how they will protect their votes on election day,” he said.
His comments came against the backdrop of his assessment of the country’s current economic and social conditions. Obi expressed concern over hunger and poverty, saying his visit to Kogi was partly intended to assess the difficulties facing ordinary Nigerians and consider ways of reducing their hardship.
He stressed that the electoral process must produce an outcome that reflects the actual votes cast by citizens.
“The votes of the people must be counted,” Obi said, arguing that Nigerians should use the 2027 elections to select leaders capable of addressing the country’s problems.
He therefore urged voters to evaluate candidates beyond political affiliations, asking them to consider competence, capacity, character, compassion and commitment to national development before deciding who should receive their votes.
“They must do it based on competence, capacity, character, compassion and commitment to turning Nigeria around,” Obi said.
The NDC presidential candidate also drew attention to conditions in rural communities, saying his movement through parts of Kogi had exposed him to what he described as painful living conditions among Nigerians.
He particularly pointed to the country’s agricultural potential, arguing that extensive farmland exists in rural areas but farmers are not receiving the necessary support to maximise production.
“As I moved around, I felt pain seeing how Nigerians are living,” Obi said, highlighting the existence of large farmlands while expressing concern that farmers were not being adequately supported to produce enough food for the country.
He maintained that Nigeria needed leadership with a clear vision and the capacity to reverse what he described as the country’s backward trajectory.
Ameh highlights Kogi East’s economic potential
For Ameh, the event was an opportunity to draw attention to what he described as the untapped economic potential of Kogi East and the shortcomings of infrastructure and public services across the region.
The NDC senatorial candidate said the area possessed fertile land and significant mineral resources and therefore should not be experiencing the level of poverty and infrastructural decay confronting many communities.
“Kogi East is really blessed. We should not have decayed infrastructure,” Ameh said.
He specifically referred to coal production in Ankpa, arguing that the existence of the mineral resource had not translated into adequate infrastructure for surrounding communities.
According to Ameh, roads serving the area remain in poor condition despite the movement of large quantities of coal from the mining location. He cited the reported movement of more than 200 trucks from the coal site daily while lamenting the difficulty residents face accessing Enjema.
“It is painful that we find ourselves in this deplorable state, but we can do something about it,” he said.
Ameh argued that effective representation in the National Assembly could provide a platform for communities in Kogi East to raise their infrastructure and development challenges at the federal level.
He said elected representatives should make the concerns of their constituents a central part of their legislative responsibilities rather than treating public office as a personal undertaking.
Healthcare and education become campaign issues
The senatorial candidate also raised concerns about the condition of primary healthcare facilities in Kogi State, describing the situation across the state’s nine local government areas as unacceptable.
“Our primary healthcare system here in Kogi is dead across the nine local government areas,” Ameh said.
He used the condition of healthcare facilities as an argument for voters to examine the records and capacity of candidates seeking legislative positions before casting their ballots.
According to him, the electorate should consider what prospective representatives have achieved in previous positions and whether they have demonstrated the ability to deliver meaningful improvements within their areas of responsibility.
Ameh also said he had set aside his personal interests in favour of what he described as the collective interests of the people.
“For me, I have already buried my personal interest in ensuring that the interests of the people become our interest. The people must come first,” he said.
He further called for greater investment in public health institutions and schools, arguing that the people of Kogi East deserved stronger social infrastructure and better public services.
Ameh said public institutions must be given a “new lease of life” and that voters should favour candidates with demonstrable experience, capacity and records of transforming the areas or institutions under their responsibility.
Call to protect ballots
A major part of Ameh’s appeal centred on the integrity of the votes cast during elections. He alleged that votes previously cast by residents had been “stolen” and urged voters not only to participate in the 2027 elections but also to remain vigilant throughout the electoral process.
“They have served us before, but these votes were stolen,” Ameh said.
He encouraged residents to vote and protect their ballots, arguing that the ability of citizens to choose their representatives through credible elections was directly connected to the quality of infrastructure and public services they would receive afterwards.
According to him, roads, healthcare, schools and other basic amenities are ultimately linked to the quality of representation produced through elections.
Ameh said the electorate should therefore demand representatives who would genuinely defend their collective interests at the National Assembly.
He also urged voters to examine the records of candidates rather than relying solely on campaign promises or political affiliations. In his view, candidates who have demonstrated competence and achieved measurable results in previous responsibilities should receive serious consideration.
A broader 2027 appeal
The positions expressed by Obi and Ameh placed electoral credibility, voter vigilance and leadership capacity at the centre of their campaign messages in Kogi East.
While Obi focused largely on the national implications of credible elections and the need for issue-based political engagement, Ameh concentrated on local challenges involving infrastructure, healthcare, education and representation.
Both, however, argued that voters have a central role in determining whether the 2027 elections produce the leadership Nigerians want.
For Obi, that means ensuring that every vote is counted and choosing candidates according to qualities such as competence, character and commitment. For Ameh, it also means remaining vigilant after voting and ensuring that ballots are protected until the electoral process is concluded.
Their appeals came as the NDC used Ameh’s emergence as its Kogi East senatorial candidate to strengthen its engagement with supporters in the area, with both politicians presenting the 2027 election as an opportunity for voters to demand accountable leadership and better public services.
2027: Peter Obi, Peter Ameh Urge Voters to Protect Their Ballots, Demand Credible Elections
