The presidential candidate of the Labour Party opponent, Peter Obi, has refused to acknowledge the loss in the February 25 presidential election, vowing to regain their mandate in court.
The candidate spurned the offer of conciliation made by the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, who in his acceptance speech after he was proclaimed the winner of the vote on Wednesday, requested them to help him in the mission of developing the country.
Peter Obi addressed the press in Abuja on Thursday.
In the early hours of Wednesday, the Independent National Electoral Commission proclaimed Tinubu as the President-elect after the 70-year-old earned 8,794,726 votes to surpass his nearest competitors, Atiku and Obi who got 6,984,520 and 6,101, votes, respectively.
Breaking his silence 24 hours after Tinubu was proclaimed the winner of the closely disputed votes, an emotional Obi asserted that he won the election and he was ready to prove it.
He remarked that the election in which Tinubu was proclaimed successful was disputed and structured to provide pre-determined outcomes.
He pointed out that the election did not satisfy the qualifications and could not be called credible.
The former Anambra State governor stated that Nigerians were robbed of their actual choice, adding was willing to contest the results unless he proved his position in court.
“The election that we just watched had been performed and the results reported as intended. There is a blatant violation of election laws and standards contrary to what we were told.
“This election did not satisfy the minimal level anticipated of a free, fair, transparent and credible election. It will go down as one of the most contentious elections ever undertaken in Nigeria.
“The honest and industrious people of Nigeria have again been looted by our putative leaders whom they trusted,” he stated.
Vowing to seek and regain his mandate, the LP candidate stated, “Let me reassure the good people of Nigeria that we would explore all legal and peaceful alternatives to retrieve our mandate. We won the poll and I will show it to Nigerians.
’’The former governor said he thought the process by which individuals enter into any position was crucial and there was a need for Nigeria to cleanse the process.
Obi continued, “The process by which individuals get into the office is significantly more basic, more vital than what they do in office subsequently.
“I feel that if you must say ‘Your Excellency,’ the method via which you get to the office must be great.
“We must now insist that we do the right thing to develop the necessary confidence and moral authority to lead. As you know, the structure of society starts and steadily retrogresses when we behave rascally and purposefully in the manipulation of rule of law and repression of the will of the people.
”He claimed he has contested previous election results and came out triumphant and he would be approaching the court with the solid confidence of gaining justice.
On this topic (presidential election) I am criticizing the process. I will battle this rascality for the future of the nation.
“The court exists for this and they have asked me to go to court and I will be going to court,” the former governor promised his fans.
Asked whether he was under pressure, he replied no one could put him under pressure for “challenging the rascality.’
“My running mate and I are utterly undeterred and firmly devoted to the vision of a new Nigeria that would be founded on honesty, openness, fairness, justice, and equality. All the aforementioned begins with the process.”
He continued, “We have to walk through this darkness. The framework of crime can’t go away overnight.
“All we need to demonstrate is devotion and resilience. I shall be in the forefront and will work through this darkness till daybreak.’’
