We Will Reclaim Our Mandate – Obi Dares Tinubu, APC

• Says being ‘Obi-dient’, LP is heading to court as advised by INEC, APC

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, says being ‘Obi-dent’, he is heeding the advice of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to approach the courts and reclaim the party’s stolen mandate of February 25, 2023.

Clearly refusing to concede defeat and rebuffing the gesture of conciliation from the declared winner of the presidential poll, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling APC, Obi assured that the Labour Party recover their mandate in court.

The former Anambra State governor, who broke his silence 24 hours after INEC presented the Certificate of Return to the APC flag bearer as the declared winner of the controversy-ridden polls, insisted that he won the election and would prove it to the world in court.

Alleging that the electoral umpire systematically breached its rules to declare Tinubu as the winner of the election in a manner programmed to deliver pre-determined results, Obi said sadly enough the election failed to acceptable requirements and therefore can not be considered credible by any standard.

He said it was unfortunate that Nigerians were robbed of their true choice and challenging the results to prove his position in court would be a fitting reward and soothing balm for millions of Nigerians who trooped out in the numbers to seek a better future for their dear country on February 25.

According to him; “The election that we just witnessed had been conducted and the results announced as programmed. It is a clear deviation from electoral rules and guidelines contrary to what we were promised. This election did not meet the minimum standard expected of a free, fair, transparent, and credible election. It will go down as one of the most controversial elections ever conducted in Nigeria.

The LP flag bearer, who vowed to pursue and recover his mandate, said; “The good and hardworking people of Nigeria have again been robbed by our supposed leaders whom they trusted”, adding; “Let me reassure the good people of Nigeria that we will explore all legal and peaceful options to reclaim our mandate. We won the election and I will prove it to Nigerians.’”

Maintaining that the process heralding people into positions of responsibility was very important and Nigeria needs to sanitise such processes, Obi said; “The process through which people come into the office is far more fundamental, more important than what they do (in office) thereafter. I believe that if you must answer ‘Your Excellency,’ the process through which you arrive at the office must be excellent.

“We must now require that we do the right thing to generate the right confidence and moral authority to lead. As you know, the structure of society begins and gradually retrogresses when we act rascally and deliberately in the manipulation of rule of law and suppression of the will of the people.”

Asked if the Labour Party has confidence in the nation’s judiciary as the Party seeks legal remedies, the former governor recalled that having challenged several election results in the past and emerged victorious, he would be approaching the court with the firm belief of getting justice for Nigerians.

In a posture of ‘no retreat, no surrender’, Obi emphatically stated; “On this issue (presidential poll) I am challenging the process. I will challenge this rascality for the future of the country. The court exists for this and they have asked me to go to court and I will be going to court”.

The former governor, who laughed off insinuations of being under pressure, declared said that no one could put him under pressure for “challenging the rascality”, adding; “Datti (the LP Vice presidential candidate) and I remain absolutely undaunted and deeply committed to the project of a new Nigeria that will be built on honesty, transparency, fairness, justice, and equity. All the above starts with the process.

“We have to go through this darkness. The structure of criminality can’t go out overnight. All we need to show is commitment and resilience. I will be at the forefront and will work through this darkness until daybreak.”

“Nigeria cannot conduct an election 63 years after independence and it will be like this”, the LP Standard bearer said, even as he urged Party members and supporters across the country to troop out en masse and vote the party’s candidates in the forthcoming March 11 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections nationwide.

“I enjoin you to campaign and bring out people to vote. We still have so many massive contestants in our sub-nationals. I assure you that I will be part of it. We will build a country that all of us will be proud of”.

On insinuations of alliances as the LP gets set to commence its legal battle in court, the presidential candidate said; “I have never directly or indirectly spoken or released any message since after voting last Saturday. Anything you see in the media, disregard it. This is my first time speaking officially.”

He also used the opportunity to request that a minute of silence be observed for all those who lost their lives during the election, and prayed that God will continue to bless and protect the country.