An Enugu frontline governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Ray Kene Ogbodo, has stated that election riggers and manipulators are shameless, noting that they can rig an election, but they cannot defeat the people.
Ogbodo stated that in a press ststement released on Monday by his media aide, Mr Don Victor, following the just concluded Ekiti State Governorship election and other by-elections across the country in which Enugu Senatorial zone was among.
The Guber Candidate said, “Democracy is built on a simple but powerful principle: that the people have the right to choose those who govern them. It is a principle that has inspired struggles for freedom and justice across generations and continents. Yet, throughout history, there have always been individuals and groups who seek to undermine that principle through manipulation, intimidation, and electoral fraud.
Nigeria is no exception.
For many citizens, repeated allegations of election rigging, vote buying, voter suppression, and political manipulation have created frustration and disappointment. Some have become disillusioned with the democratic process, questioning whether their votes truly count or whether meaningful change can ever emerge through the ballot box.
These concerns are understandable. However, they must not lead us to the dangerous conclusion that participation is futile.
In fact, the greatest victory of those who seek to manipulate elections is not the fraudulent declaration of results. Their greatest victory occurs when citizens lose faith in democracy itself and withdraw from the political process. When people stop participating, stop organizing, stop voting, and stop believing, those who benefit from a broken system become even stronger.
That is why participation remains both a democratic responsibility and a form of resistance”
Ogbodo went further to state that, “The answer to electoral manipulation is not political apathy. The answer is greater civic engagement. It is more citizens becoming involved in public affairs, demanding accountability, monitoring electoral processes, and insisting that democratic institutions work as intended.
History repeatedly demonstrates that no political structure built on manipulation survives indefinitely. There may be periods when those in power appear untouchable. There may be moments when political actors use their influence, resources, and networks to bend the system in their favor. Yet no system can permanently withstand the collective determination of a people who have decided that enough is enough.
Across the world, entrenched political establishments have fallen not because they willingly surrendered power, but because ordinary citizens became organized, informed, and determined to reclaim their democratic rights. The forces of manipulation may delay change, but they cannot permanently prevent it.
This is why those who believe in a better future must refuse to be discouraged. We must reject cynicism and resist the temptation to abandon the democratic space. The struggle for good governance has never been won by spectators. It has always been won by citizens who remained engaged even when the odds appeared overwhelming.
Political participation is ultimately an investment in the future. Every vote cast, every voice raised, and every effort to strengthen democratic institutions contributes to a larger movement for accountability and progress.
Those who rig elections often assume that they have defeated the people. In reality, they merely postpone an inevitable reckoning. The aspirations of millions cannot be suppressed forever. The desire for justice cannot be manipulated indefinitely. The demand for accountable leadership cannot be permanently silenced”
The governorship hopeful, Ogbodo, said that, “One day, the very masses whose voices have been ignored will become too powerful to disregard. One day, the collective will of the people will prove stronger than the schemes of those who seek to manipulate the system. And when that day comes, history will once again remind us that power ultimately belongs not to a privileged few, but to the people.
That is why we must continue to participate. That is why we must continue to organize. That is why we must continue to believe.
Because while elections may sometimes be manipulated, the determination of a people seeking freedom, justice, and good governance can never be defeated forever”.
