The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said he will concede defeat in the 2027 presidential election if the exercise is free, fair and credible.

Obi made the declaration in an interview aired on Arise TV on Thursday, insisting that the outcome of any credible election should be respected because it reflects the choice of the electorate.

“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, alleging that those who conducted the poll were aware of what transpired during the exercise.

“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.

Addressing the argument that political power should rotate among Nigeria’s regions, Obi said presidential elections should not be determined by ethnicity or religion.

“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; I have been all over the world studying what it takes to be president of a country, and I know what I can do to turn around this country in the right direction,” he stated.

The former Anambra State governor also cited his educational background, naming Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia and Kellogg among institutions he had attended.

“You can look at our qualification in terms of training. I’ve been to the best schools from all over the world, from Oxford to Cambridge, Harvard, Columbia, and Kellogg, and I’ve been everywhere, and every certificate I’m showing you is the way it is. If they find anyone wrong, I will drop from the race,” Obi added.

He also criticised what he described as the absence of younger Nigerians from the presidency, observing that no person born after 1960 had occupied the office of president since independence.