Peter Obi to Nigerians: Secure your PVCs, stop election rigging
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former Labour Party presidential flagbearer, Peter Obi, has appealed to Nigerians to register and collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing it as the ultimate tool to end bad governance and resist electoral malpractice.
In a statement titled “PVC is the bridge to a New Nigeria” issued on Monday and shared on X, Obi emphasised that the voter’s card is the strongest weapon for nation-building and cautioned citizens against trading their votes for money.
“Today, I want to plead with every Nigerian, young and old to heed this call to action. The future of our dear nation is in your hands. The greatest strength of democracy is in the voter’s card,” he said.
Obi described the PVC as “the voice of the voiceless, the shield of the weak, and the weapon of the poor for a better life, against injustice and bad leadership,” urging Nigerians to “get organised and make election rigging difficult. Go out, register, collect your PVC, and hold it firmly as your bridge to a new Nigeria.”
The former Anambra governor condemned the act of vote selling, stressing that politicians who pay for votes only seek to plunder public resources.
“Let us know this: those who buy votes are not offering you charity; they only invest in their own corruption. They buy votes so that they can buy their way into our treasury to steal public money. When they get into that office, they will loot the funds that should have been used to build schools, hospitals or provide good jobs. Such people are not leaders, they are criminals in disguise. They are no better than killers, armed robbers, and kidnappers, because they commit the same crime of destruction,” he declared.
Obi further warned that citizens who exchange their votes for money risk destroying their future.
“To those who sell their votes, you are not just selling an election, you are selling the very opportunities that would have lifted you and your family out of poverty. You are selling the schools that your children should have attended, the hospitals that should save your loved ones and the jobs that would have given you dignity and a better life,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to take ownership of the democratic process and use their votes to rescue the country.
“Our democracy is at stake. That is why I urge every eligible Nigerian to register, collect, and safeguard your PVC, and when the time comes, use it wisely. Vote for leaders of competence, character, capacity, and compassion. Leaders who will put you first. Do not be intimidated, do not be deceived, and do not be bought,” Obi said.
He concluded by charging Nigerians to demonstrate that political power truly belongs to the people and not to corrupt elites “who trade our future for their selfish gain.”
Obi’s renewed call for voter participation comes on the heels of last weekend’s by-elections held in several states.
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