Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in Saturday’s presidential election, has said he would challenge the outcome of the election in court.
Obi who addressed a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, maintained that the electoral process was flawed, noting that he has an obligation to challenge a process that is faulty.
The former Anambra State governor argued that anyone who will be called “your excellency, the process that put you in office must be excellent.”
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday, February 25 conducted the Presidential and National Assembly elections and subsequently announced candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu winner of the election.
INEC declared the former Lagos State Governor winner of the election after he polled 8,794,726 votes.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced Tinubu as the winner at the International Collation Centre in Abuja during the early hours of Wednesday.
The former Lagos State governor came out tops in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states, and secured significant numbers in several other states to claim the highest number of votes — 8,794,726, almost two million votes more than his closest rival — former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.
Atiku, 76, who has now run for president six times, got 6,984,520 votes, while the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, who, in less than a year, galvanised young voters in a manner some have described as unprecedented finished the race with 6,101,533.
“Nigerians especially the youths believed in and worked tirelessly for a new Nigeria. Gratitude to the Obidients, those who believed a new Nigeria is possible and I say to them a new Nigeria is possible and we will work for that new Nigeria that is possible.
“The commitment and silence of Nigerians even in the face of unwarranted panic attacks is a testimony that a new Nigeria is indeed possible. Look at people like lady Jennifer who was stabbed and still went on to vote then that gives me the courage to believe that a new Nigeria is indeed possible.”
“They asked us to go the court, remember I’m an ‘Obedient’, I will go to where they ask us to go,” he noted
Peter Obi lamented that the number of voters in the 2023 election reduced sharply by 20% despite the increase in the number of registered voters and persons who collected their PVC in 2023.
“The reason for the reduction is due to manipulation and removal of votes here and there…We have chosen that we will challenge this rascality for the future of this country, Nigeria can’t conduct credible elections after 63 years of independence, it’s something we should all reflect on.
“We are not in an alliance, we’re discussing and in partnership with other people and any other Nigerian who feels hurt as we do,” the Labour Party presidential candidate said.