Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has called for electoral accountability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at a book launch on Tuesday, Obi declared that votes will count in the upcoming polls.
“The votes will count and those who think they will not count will be counted,” he said.
The launched book, a biography titled “Obi: The Political Change Agent, The Inevitability of a New Nigeria” is authored by journalist Ike Abonyi.
The former Anambra State governor seized the occasion of the book launch to rally members of the Obidient Movement, urging them to stay steadfast and undeterred by the outcome of the 2023 elections.
Obi warned that unless Nigeria dismantles the “criminal enterprise” running the affairs of the nation, no meaningful progress would be achieved. He accused those in power of prioritizing the accumulation of wealth over the wellbeing of the people.
“This time around, we will make sure that we are everywhere. We will vote, the votes will count and those who think they will not count will be counted,” he said, promising widespread mobilization in 2027.
Obi likened Nigeria’s current situation to the sinking Titanic. “When it was sinking, some people were on the upper deck celebrating. They didn’t know that it was going down, till everybody sank,” Obi stated. “So when it comes, it will consume everybody, nobody will be safe, whether you’re very rich.”
Making comparisons with conflict-ridden nations like Afghanistan and Lebanon, Obi cautioned against the illusion of security through material possessions. He warned that the selfish accumulation of wealth without regard for justice or equity could lead to national disaster.
“Today in Nigeria, we’re not at war. Nigerians are in a refugee camp in their own country. Nigerians are refugees in Cameroon, and we are not at war,” he said. “The only reason is that we don’t have a people-centric government.”
He decried the culture of neglect in governance, where lives are lost daily with no official empathy or action. Instead, he said, the elite are engaged in endless celebration and vanity projects.
“They make you president, all you want to do is to renovate houses at the expense of other people, renovate conference centers in a place where women are dying,” Obi added.
Condemning the celebration of wealth amidst national suffering, Obi declared that it is time to upend the structure of injustice. “That is what we want to dismantle so that it will be good for everybody. We must gang up to remove this because it’s not sustainable.”
He appealed to his supporters to stay the course, assuring them that their sacrifices would not be wasted. He urged members of the Obidient Movement to return to their villages and spread awareness about the need for change