SUNTV Global Channel | March 7, 2026
Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi has challenged Nigeria’s ruling party to ensure a free and fair contest in the 2027 general elections, insisting that the outcome would reveal the true will of the people.
Speaking on Friday during an empowerment programme in Nimo, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, Obi said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which currently controls 30 state governments, should allow a transparent electoral process and “see who wins.”
The event was organised by the lawmaker representing Dunukofia/Njikoka/Anaocha Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, George Ozodinobi.
Obi, who recently defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), explained that his decision to leave the Labour Party was influenced by what he described as the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise several court rulings regarding the party’s leadership dispute.
According to him, the Labour Party had obtained favourable court judgments in the leadership tussle, but the electoral body allegedly ignored them until after his departure from the party at the end of 2025.
“You all know that I am now in the ADC,” Obi told the gathering. “People have been asking why I left the Labour Party. We had been going to court over leadership issues and getting favourable judgments, yet INEC refused to recognise them. But when I left on December 31, 2025, they suddenly recognised those same orders.”
The former presidential candidate also alleged that certain constitutional amendments being discussed were targeted at preventing him from contesting future elections.
However, he insisted that no political move would stop him from participating in the next presidential race.
“I want to announce that no matter what they do, I must contest the election,” Obi said. “Let them make the election free and fair, bring the ball to the centre of the field and declare it started, and let us see what happens.”
Obi further expressed concern about the state of the country, claiming Nigeria urgently needs rebuilding.
According to him, widespread inequality and greed among the wealthy have worsened the country’s economic and social challenges.
“Nigeria has collapsed and is lying on the ground. It is not working because many of the rich are hungry and greedy,” he said. “This country is skewed against the poor. We want a nation where the son of a nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody.”
The former governor also commended Ozodinobi for organising the empowerment programme, noting that initiatives that support ordinary citizens demonstrate the importance of electing responsible leaders.
Obi was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Nigerian presidential election and remains one of the prominent political figures positioning for the 2027 race.
