Ahead of the 2027 general elections, presidential contenders and other political leaders have issued a strong warning that Nigerians must not be expected to accept electoral outcomes they believe were produced through manipulation, irregularities or other forms of malpractice.
The warning came during a plenary session at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where politicians including African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi discussed the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process and the protection of electoral mandates.
Sowore set the most confrontational tone at the session, warning that he would not stand by if votes legitimately cast for him were allegedly manipulated or overturned.
The AAC presidential candidate said politicians who claimed to have won elections in the past but failed to defend their mandates had sent the wrong message to Nigerian voters.
He specifically recalled the 2023 election and referenced former Kogi State Senator Dino Melaye, whom he described as his former friend, saying Melaye had previously raised the question of how candidates would protect their votes.
“Senator Dino Melaye, my former friend. Yes. And he was asking, and I agree with him truthfully, that how are we going to protect our votes,” Sowore said.
He warned voters against supporting politicians who, after claiming victory at the polls, allegedly abandoned the fight to protect their mandates.
“In case you don’t know, there are people in this hall, in large numbers, in 2023, who voted in an election, said they won, and abandoned the mandate. They did nothing to fight for their mandates. Don’t make that mistake of voting for those kinds of people again in your life,” he said.
Sowore then issued his strongest warning, declaring that anyone who attempted to take away a presidential mandate he legitimately won would face resistance.
“I am standing here. If anybody takes a vote on an election I won, the person will not be president of Nigeria, I can assure you that. Even if it takes my life,” he vowed.
He also rejected what he described as excessive dependence on the judiciary to determine the outcome of elections, arguing that Nigerians should know who won from the polling units and the transparent collation of results.
“It is the reason why we must not rely on judges and lawyers to determine our elections,” Sowore said.
“We don’t want our elections to go to your courts again. We must determine the winner of the election on the day of the election, so that the only thing a lawyer will do in an election is to help us swear in the winner of the election. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Sowore further warned that failure to conduct a credible election could trigger mass resistance.
“If we can’t get that, we shut down the country until we get the right leader who won an election,” he said.
“There is no way we can win if we don’t fight. And there is no way we can lose, since we are fighters.”
He concluded his position by declaring: “Yes, we will win. No, we will not accede if it’s not fair and credible.”
Other presidential contenders at the conference also rejected the idea of accepting an election result simply because it had been formally declared.
Former Cross River State Governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate Donald Duke questioned why any candidate should accept an outcome that was fundamentally unfair.
“Why should I accept something that is wrong?” Duke asked.
“If it’s not fair, I will not accept it. I may not go to the court, but personally, I will not accept it.”
Former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi similarly said his acceptance of an election result would depend on whether the process was genuinely free and fair.
“Definitely, if it is free and fair, we will accept. If not, we will not accept,” Obi stated.
Social Democratic Party presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo also joined the discussion on the need for credible elections, as the political figures collectively stressed the importance of protecting the integrity of votes and ensuring that electoral outcomes reflect the will of Nigerians.
Adding his voice to the discussion, former Rivers State Governor and ADC vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi dismissed the politics of ethnic identity, arguing that Nigeria needs leaders who can appeal to citizens across ethnic and regional boundaries.
“We are the most detribalized candidates, if you look at where we are coming from. So, we will win,” Amaechi said.
“We are not Yoruba, we are not Igbo, we are not Hausa, we are Nigerian candidates.”
The heated exchange at the NBA conference highlights the growing concern among opposition politicians and presidential contenders over the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of 2027.
The politicians’ positions also point to increasing resistance to the traditional practice of conceding disputed elections or relying solely on the courts to resolve controversies surrounding electoral mandates.
With the 2027 political contest expected to be highly competitive, the statements from Sowore, Adebayo, Obi, Duke and Amaechi have placed electoral credibility, vote protection and the role of the judiciary at the centre of the emerging political debate.
For Sowore, however, the message was particularly uncompromising: an election he believes he has legitimately won must not be taken away from him, and any attempt to do so, according to his declaration at the conference, would be met with resistance.