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.

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.

Obi 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.”

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Kenneth Okonkwo, has said that the imposition of N200 million and N150 million on presidential and governorship campaign billboards in Abia state is a pure handiwork of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Okonkwo made this allegation on Friday when he appeared on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’.

He also accused Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, of allowing himself to be used by the APC to impose such a huge amount on campaign billboards in the state.

“It’s unfortunate that in Nigeria, the ruling party has made it impossible for the opposition to strive. In Abia State, you are hearing a huge amount for you to put up your billboards for N200 million for a presidential candidate.

“Now, multiply N200 million by 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, you would see the perfidy. Just an opportunity to advertise and tell Nigerians what you want to do. APC is a scourge that wants to destroy our democracy.

“I’m surprised that Governor Otti will fall for that. As far I’m concerned, that is an APC agenda using Governor Otti to make it impossible for the opposition political parties to campaign, and it’s really unfortunate,” Okonkwo said.

DAILY POST reports that Abia State Structure for Signage and Advertising Agency, ABSSAA, placed N200 million fees on all 2027 presidential candidates who wish to display their political campaign structures in the state’s advertisement space.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Kenneth Okonkwo, on Friday urged President Bola Tinubu to resign instead of waiting to contest in the 2027 elections.

Okonkwo made the call on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, where spoke on the now overturned Abuja Federal High Court judgment that deregistered the ADC.

He said, “Everything about this judgment is queued towards frustrating the opposition and trying to coronate Tinubu according to the Minister of Aviation and not elect him in 2027 because Tinubu by his performance has gone back to Bourdillion with one flight ticket by 2027.

“Is it in the area of insecurity? I told you when you want to give an example of insecurity, you don’t need to refer to yesterday because it’s a daily occurrence. In Plateau, in Benue people are massacred in their numbers, people are beheaded in Oyo State and they want you to praise them for what they would have prevented.

“Life and the destruction of life is better prevented than cured because when somebody is killed, it’s final. Let me tell you a personal story that pains me, my worker, because most of the things you hear are nothing compared to the actual thing that is going on.

“My worker, they kidnapped the mother in Kaduna State and they were asking them for ransom and when they could not provide the hundreds of millions they were asking for, they broke two fingers of the mother. He is the only child of the mother, you can know the pains that I’m going through seeing these things.

“These ones are not reported, the issue here is that Tinubu should not even allow the election to hold, he should resign and go in peace.”