The Presidency has issued a statement in response to the criticisms made by Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, who questioned the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the victory of President Bola Tinubu.
Obi, who came third in the election with 25.4% of the vote, held a press conference on Monday, where he described the Supreme Court judgment as a breach of confidence Nigerians have in the judiciary and a show of unreasonable force against the Nigerian people.
The statement, signed by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, accused Obi of engaging in a divisive and polarizing campaign that pitted different religious and ethnic groups against each other. It also said that Obi failed to provide evidence of election rigging, technical glitches, non-compliance with INEC rules, perjury, identity theft, and forgery, he alleged in his petition.
The Presidency argued that judicial decisions are not based on public opinion or emotional sentiments but on evidence, precedents, and the rule of law. It said that Obi should have congratulated Tinubu and pledged his support for the government rather than raising extraneous matters in an attempt to overturn the decision.
The statement also claimed that Obi had been rejected by the majority of Nigerians in the election and that his criticisms were a futile attempt to hold onto false allegations. It said that Nigerians had chosen Tinubu because of his track record of transforming Lagos State as a governor and his vision of making Nigeria a regional economic powerhouse.
The statement concluded by asserting that Tinubu’s government is committed to delivering on its promises of improving security, infrastructure, health, education, and social welfare for all Nigerians and urged Obi and other opposition leaders to join hands with the government in the interest of national unity and development.
The Supreme Court had dismissed the appeals filed by Obi, Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, who challenged Tinubu’s election on various grounds. The court ruled that there was no merit in their appeals and affirmed that Tinubu had met the constitutional requirements of winning the majority of the valid votes cast and at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Tinubu, who won 36.6% of the vote, was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th president on May 29, 2023. He is the first president from the southwest region since Olusegun Obasanjo, who left office in 2007.
Source: Business Day NG
