By CHARLES IWUOHA

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has said that the power to ensure credible elections lies with the Nigerian people, insisting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will only act according to the resolve of the electorate.

Obi spoke with journalists on Friday after attending the burial service of the late Pa Simon Okorie Abaa, father of the NDC senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South, Chief Linus Okorie, at Isiama Primary School, Onicha Igboeze, in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

He described his relationship with Linus Okorie as longstanding, recalling that they had worked together in the Labour Party before joining the NDC.

“We have worked together before in the Labour Party and now we are in the NDC. That shows we have a close relationship. We are here today to pay our last respects to his late father.

“I pray that God Almighty, who gave Papa a long life and has now called him home, will grant him eternal rest and give the family and all of us the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss. May God continue to bless the family,” Obi said.

Speaking on preparations for the 2027 general election, Obi said his confidence was not in INEC alone but in Nigerians’ determination to defend their votes.

“It is not about confidence in INEC. Do I still have confidence in the people? Because it is the people that will determine what INEC will do. If the people insist that their votes will count, their votes will count.

“It is for Nigerians to look at what is happening in the country today and ask themselves what the future holds for our children in this enterprise called Nigeria. Are we going to continue in this direction? Anybody talking about changing Nigeria today is making the ultimate sacrifice because we cannot continue like this,” he said.

The former Anambra State governor lamented the worsening economic situation, saying poverty and hunger had reached alarming levels.

“Every day poverty is increasing. Every day hunger is increasing. You don’t even need World Bank reports to know this because you can see it in the villages.

“They are saying that about 70 million Nigerians are facing acute hunger. What are we going to do about it? Are we going to continue like this? No. That is not possible,” he added.

On concerns that opposition supporters may face intimidation and harassment during the elections, Obi said Nigerians were already suffering from economic hardship.

“For me, every Nigerian is already being harassed by hunger. People are being harassed by the worsening situation in the country. Everybody is affected.

“It is time for Nigerians to tell those who are harassing us that enough is enough,” he said.

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