2027: Manipulate votes, invite anarchy — Umeh defends Obi

Senator Victor Umeh has defended Peter Obi’s warning that Nigerians will resist any attempt to manipulate their votes in the 2027 general election, saying the statement was a call for electoral responsibility, not a threat to unleash anarchy.

Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), had warned that Nigerians would no longer tolerate attempts to undermine their votes, insisting that ballots cast at polling units must be counted and the choices of voters respected.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, Umeh, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, said Obi’s comment was neither extreme nor inciting, but reflected the expectations of Nigerians ahead of the election.

“I think the statement he made is not extreme. It is not inciting in any form. He merely stated what the Nigerian electorate will be expecting in 2027,” Umeh said.

The lawmaker said a transparent electoral process, in which votes are properly counted and collated, would eliminate doubts over election results and reduce the likelihood of post-election unrest.

“There will be no room for fraud or manipulation of election results, if taken further, it is a call on the electoral umpire to ensure that what will come out of that process will be genuine and real,” he said.

Umeh described Obi’s warning as “a call to patriotic duty to the electoral commission to ensure that they don’t create a situation where people will doubt the results they will declare.”

He also urged voters and electoral officials to protect the integrity of the ballot by ensuring that votes cast at polling units are properly counted, recorded and transmitted through the prescribed electoral process.

“So, whether he says the people will count the votes or we count them is a call to duty and awakening the consciousness of everybody to help to protect the sanctity of the ballot box,” Umeh said.

He maintained that credible elections remained the strongest safeguard against post-election tension, warning that any unrest triggered by disputed results would arise from manipulation of the electoral process, rather than Obi’s warning.

“When you manipulate and give false results, you are the one inviting the anarchy not Peter Obi, who is saying that the right thing should be done,” Umeh said.

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