Peter Obi, the candidate for the Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria’s just ended presidential election, claims victory and that he will pursue all legal avenues to retrieve his mandate.
“We will explore all legal and peaceful option to reclaim our mandate. We won the election and we will prove it to Nigerians,” Obi said at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja.
“I am challenging the process,” Obi declared to a room full of journalists in Nigeria’s capital city, his first media appearance after the declaration of a winner by the electoral umpire.
“This is very unfair. It is the least expected of Nigeria,” he said.
We observed a moment of silence for all those hurt or killed during the poll on February 25, right at the start of the briefing.
Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the party, and Akin Osuntokun, the director general of Obi’s presidential campaign, are also present at the briefing.
A new Nigeria remains a priority for both him and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, he added.
He gratefully praised his young supporters, known as “Obidients,” and exhorted them not to be discouraged by the results of the polls.
“We will work for that new Nigeria that is possible,” he said. “Datti and I remain committed to that new Nigeria.”
Obi gave the nation’s young the reassurance that he would remain in the country and continue to strive for a new Nigeria.
According to the former governor of Anambra State, the system that has resulted in 133 million people living in multidimensional poverty cannot be eliminated quickly. “We will walk through darkness until daybreak,” he said.
According to him, the poll fell short of the requirements for a free and fair election, and it would be remembered as the most contentious election held in Nigeria.
Obi bemoaned the inability of Nigeria to hold elections 63 years after attaining independence.