The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pledged to concede defeat in the 2027 presidential election if the poll is free, fair and credible.
Obi made the declaration during an interview aired on Arise TV on Thursday, saying he would respect the decision of Nigerians if they chose another candidate.
“If the election is free, fair and credible, I will because it’s an election. It’s the people that would say who they want to serve, and I will respect the will of the people; that’s democracy,” he said.
However, Obi maintained that he won the 2023 presidential election, insisting that those who conducted the poll were aware of what happened.
“I did, and I will maintain that as long as I live that I won the 2023 election. Those who conducted it know the records; they know why there was a glitch and what happened,” he said.
On the idea of a “turn-by-turn” presidency, Obi said Nigeria’s elections should not be determined by ethnic or religious considerations. He argued that candidates should instead be assessed based on competence and qualifications.
“Election should not be driven by tribe or religion. Today, in terms of qualification, I’m qualified to be president of Nigeria. I have the competence,” he said.
Obi also highlighted his educational and professional training, mentioning institutions including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia and Kellogg.
He challenged anyone who doubts the authenticity of his certificates to produce evidence, saying he would withdraw from the presidential race if any of his qualifications were proven to be false.
The former Anambra State governor also criticised the lack of younger leadership at the presidential level, noting that no Nigerian born after 1960 has served as president since independence.
“Since 1960, nobody born outside 1960 has been president of Nigeria. This is 66 years of independence; no other country in the world has had this happen to, and they tell youths they’re the leaders of tomorrow,” Obi said.
