Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has said that credible elections in Nigeria depend more on the integrity of political leaders than on the police or electoral bodies.
Obi made this known while speaking on the issue of election policing, where he shared a personal account from his time in office under President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I can’t comment much on election policing,” he said. “It all depends on who is in charge at the time.”
He recounted how, during his second term as governor, he met with President Jonathan ahead of the elections and made a straightforward request.
“I told him, ‘Mr. President, I don’t want one vote that is not mine to be recorded for me. And I don’t want one vote that is mine to be recorded for another person.’”
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Obi said he urged the president to ensure that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, police officers, and everyone involved in the election carried out their duties freely and fairly, without interference.
He also revealed how he quickly intervened when he heard that political operatives from the ruling PDP entered his state during the election.
“I called President Jonathan and told him I didn’t want outsiders disrupting the process in my state. Within minutes, he acted and they were asked to leave. That’s leadership,” Obi said.
The former governor insisted that the problem with Nigeria’s elections is not lack of law enforcement, but the corrupt actions of political actors who set a bad example for society.
“If we want to fix security and elections, it must start with politicians doing the right thing. We are chasing criminals, but the criminality starts with us,” he said.
He argued that if politicians stop rigging elections and stealing public funds, the youth and even criminals in the streets will learn from their example.
“Election policing is easy if we have people who are not ready to steal the elections,” Obi concluded.
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