Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to ensure that the upcoming Edo state governorship election is conducted in a free, fair, and credible manner.

The off-cycle election in Edo is scheduled to take place on September 21. Obi made his remarks on Wednesday during the final rally of the LP governorship campaign held in Benin, the state capital.

During the event, the former governor of Anambra state called on the residents of Edo to support the LP’s governorship candidate, Olumide Akpata. Obi highlighted that Akpata’s victory would bring the necessary changes that would benefit the masses of the state.

“If elected, the Labour Party’s candidate will address federal roads connected to the state without waiting for the federal government to act,” Obi said. He emphasized that the era of election rigging in Nigeria has ended, warning that “anyone who tries to rig the election would be rigged.”

“Election rigging is coming to an end in this country. This time around, anyone who rigs the election, we will rig him,” he stated. Obi further stressed the daily suffering and hardship faced by Nigerians, affirming, “That is what the Labour Party wants to change.”

Datti Baba-Ahmed, Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, also spoke at the rally, urging LP supporters in Edo state to use their numerical strength to secure victory for their candidate. Meanwhile, Olumide Akpata, the LP governorship candidate, encouraged his supporters to cast their votes to “chase” the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) out of the Edo government house.