By staff Reporter Rukevwe Odeh

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called for tougher punishment for electoral malpractice, insisting that individuals found guilty of rigging elections should face imprisonment.

Obi made the statement while speaking at the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference in Enugu, where he challenged the media to play a stronger role in ensuring that political campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections are centred on issues affecting Nigerians.

The former Anambra State governor said political parties and candidates should focus their campaigns on good governance, national unity, security and economic prosperity rather than personal attacks, name-calling and other distractions.

He urged journalists and editors to question politicians about their records, qualifications, policies and promises, stressing that the media should hold political actors accountable to the electorate.

Obi also called for an environment where all candidates can campaign freely across the country, arguing that political disagreements should not be allowed to become personal conflicts or prevent opponents from reaching voters.

He recalled that during his tenure as Anambra State governor, opposition politicians were allowed to campaign in the state, citing visits by prominent political figures who campaigned for candidates different from his political interests.

According to him, the media has a responsibility to challenge politicians whenever they abandon substantive issues and resort to attacks against their opponents.

Obi further appealed for free, fair and credible elections in 2027, saying Nigerians must have confidence that their votes will be properly counted and protected.

On electoral malpractice, he said anyone who manipulates the outcome of an election should be held accountable under the law.

He also urged the media to examine government spending and question whether public resources allocated to sectors such as healthcare are producing the desired results.

Speaking on Nigeria’s leadership challenges, Obi said the country’s difficulties were not primarily caused by a lack of natural resources but by shortcomings in leadership and the management of available resources.

He maintained that his political ambition was secondary to his desire to see Nigeria develop systems that work effectively for its citizens.

At the conference, other speakers also raised concerns about the role of the media ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly in tackling misinformation, artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfakes and unverified reports.

Presidential media adviser Tunde Rahman urged journalists to maintain professionalism and political independence, while other contributors highlighted electoral violence, voter apathy and weaknesses in the electoral process as issues requiring attention.

The conference, organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors, focused on the media’s role in protecting democracy and strengthening the electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.