By Emmanuella Opara | October 13th, 2026
KEY POINTS
- -Labour Party presidential candidate Chibuzor Okereke has urged Nigerians to reclaim their democratic power by holding elected officials accountable ahead of the 2027 general elections.
- -He said citizens must understand their constitutional rights and actively participate in determining who governs them.
- -Okereke called for electoral integrity, insisting that voters must be able to choose and remove leaders through a credible electoral process.
- -He said the Labour Party’s manifesto prioritises people-centred governance, workers’ welfare, infrastructure, economic policies and job creation.
- -The candidate expressed confidence in the party’s readiness for the 2027 elections and called for policies that improve citizens’ living conditions.
MAIN STORY
Labour Party presidential candidate Chibuzor Okereke has called on Nigerians to take greater responsibility for the country’s democracy by holding elected officials accountable and exercising their constitutional rights ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Okereke said citizens must recognise that political authority derives from the people and that they have the right to determine who governs them through the electoral process.
Speaking in an interview in Abuja on Tuesday, October 13, he urged political parties to mobilise citizens to participate actively in democratic processes and take ownership of the country’s political future.
He argued that Nigerians could exercise greater influence over governance if they understood their rights, remained organised and acted collectively.
“When we talk about sovereignty, it belongs to the people, it is not offered. It is a fundamental right that is enshrined, which must be exercised by the citizens. To exercise it, you need knowledge of that right,” he said.
The Labour Party candidate maintained that citizens collectively possessed greater power than those holding political offices, provided they were informed and organised.
“It is time for citizens to realise that the power of the people, will always be greater than the people in power, only if the citizens are organised,” he said.
Okereke argued that elected officials should remain accountable to the electorate because they occupy public office through the authority granted by citizens.
He said Nigerians should not allow a small group of political officeholders to exercise power without effective public oversight while citizens continue to express dissatisfaction with governance.
Drawing a comparison with the relationship between employees and their organisations, he said political leaders should demonstrate a strong sense of responsibility towards the citizens they represent.
“To achieve this, the citizens must own back the power to hire and fire. And that means our electoral process must have integrity,” he said.
Okereke added that credible elections depended on citizens’ participation in protecting the electoral process and ensuring that election results reflected voters’ choices.
Beyond electoral accountability, the candidate outlined the Labour Party’s position on governance, saying its manifesto prioritised the welfare of Nigerians and placed people at the centre of public policy.
He said this approach should influence infrastructure development, economic policies, government budgeting and job creation.
“If we invest in our people, if we focus on our people, it will affect the design of our infrastructure. It will affect the design of our economic policies. It will affect even our budgeting system,” he said.
Okereke argued that government budgets should be assessed by how effectively they improve citizens’ living conditions and expand opportunities.
“Budget has a face, it has a character. When you look at a budget, you will know if it is designed to empower and improve the well-being of the people,” he added.
He also called for a governance approach that responds to citizens’ needs and considers different perspectives in policymaking rather than treating opposition voices as the only alternative to the government’s position.
The presidential candidate expressed confidence in the Labour Party’s preparedness for the 2027 elections, saying Nigerians across political affiliations wanted governments that would improve living standards, create opportunities and promote economic prosperity.
He described the Labour Party as a political platform associated with Nigerian workers, pointing to its links with the labour movement and organised labour.
According to him, workers’ welfare, including the payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities, remains central to the party’s vision of governance.
Okereke also cited developments in Abia State, governed by the Labour Party, as an example of how its approach to workers’ welfare could be extended nationally.
He said improvements in citizens’ happiness and well-being could support innovation, productivity and sustainable national development.
THE ISSUES
Okereke’s comments place electoral accountability and citizens’ participation at the centre of his message ahead of the 2027 general elections.
His argument is that democratic participation should extend beyond voting to include understanding constitutional rights, monitoring elected officials and protecting the integrity of elections.
His call for citizens to reclaim the power to hire and fire their representatives also highlights the role of credible electoral processes in enabling voters to choose their leaders and replace them through elections.
The candidate has linked these democratic principles to the Labour Party’s broader policy position, which he says prioritises citizens’ welfare in government spending, infrastructure, economic planning and employment.
His emphasis on budgeting suggests that public expenditure should be assessed not only by the amount allocated to projects but also by its intended impact on people’s living conditions.
Okereke has also presented workers’ welfare as a central part of the party’s governance approach, citing salaries, pensions and gratuities as key concerns.
However, his statements represent the party’s stated policy positions and assessment of its record. The interview does not provide detailed figures to independently establish the scale of the improvements in workers’ welfare he referenced in Abia State.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
On citizens’ democratic rights, Okereke said: “When we talk about sovereignty, it belongs to the people, it is not offered. It is a fundamental right that is enshrined, which must be exercised by the citizens.”
He also said: “It is time for citizens to realise that the power of the people, will always be greater than the people in power, only if the citizens are organised.”
On electoral accountability, he stated: “To achieve this, the citizens must own back the power to hire and fire. And that means our electoral process must have integrity.”
On the party’s approach to public policy, he said: “Budget has a face, it has a character. When you look at a budget, you will know if it is designed to empower and improve the well-being of the people.”
WHAT’S NEXT
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the Labour Party is expected to continue presenting its policy positions and mobilising support around its proposed approach to governance.
Okereke has emphasised the need for greater public participation, credible elections and policies that prioritise citizens’ welfare.
The implementation of these proposals, including the party’s positions on workers’ welfare, economic policy, budgeting and job creation, will be relevant to assessing its plans as the election campaign progresses.
BOTTOM LINE
Okereke has urged Nigerians to exercise their democratic rights and hold elected officials accountable ahead of the 2027 elections. He has linked credible elections to people-centred governance, arguing that public policy, government spending and workers’ welfare should focus on improving citizens’ living conditions.
