•Pledges support for LP candidates nationwide
By Adewale Sanyaolu and Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has faulted the declaration of Bola Tinubu as winner of the February 25 election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) saying the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate did not win the poll.
He said the manner Tinubu emerged was flawed and it was the major reason he was challenging the process that led to the declaration of a winner and the declaration itself.
In a television interview monitored in Lagos, yesterday, he lamented that INEC had failed to obey the court ruling that the party inspects materials used for the presidential election.
“I want to state categorically that at the Presidential Elections Tribunal (PET), I am challenging the INEC electoral process that led to the declaration of Tinubu as president-elect as well as the declaration itself.”
He clarified that the National Assembly elections were accepted by the party because the results were uploaded into BVAS unlike that of the presidential election which had technical glitches. He said it was the flaws in the electoral process that the court was trying to clear by giving LP the nod to check the election materials. He alleged that INEC was trying to frustrate the party from accessing the materials used for the poll.
On LP’s alleged alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Obi said there was no partnership of any sort between the two parties.
He said the two parties only came together to announce to the public that they were victims of an unfair electoral process and they were both challenging a process that was not acceptable to them, being both participants in the process.
He said what the world expected from Nigeria was a free, fair and credible election and not the charade witnessed in the last polls.He said there would not have been a need for litigation by LP if INEC had done the right thing by ensuring that results were uploaded unto the BVAS from pooling units.
Obi said the most important ingredient that makes a nation is the rule of law, and that the country must be governed by it.
“The low hanging fruit for Nigeria is the rule of law and when that starts the country will begin to witness a change which I am committed to. I urge INEC to please help the country. The image of the country today among the comity of nations is being put to question. All these rascality must stop,” Obi said.
•Wike came out against me
Obi insisted that he won the presidential election in Rivers despite that the governor came out against him.
“In the South East, people know me, what I stand for, and that I have kept to my promises. It is a simple thing. It is like people saying I won Lagos because of the Igbos there. How many Igbos live in Lagos? I got more votes from the indigenes in Lagos than those you can call visitors.
“In Rivers, where you know that the governor came out against me, I still succeeded. If the real votes of Rivers were counted, I won. I had over 50 percent of the votes. The other two parties shared the remaining figures.”
In Rivers, Tinubu polled 231,591 while Obi got 175,071 votes.
He assured that LP was committed to a new Nigeria and that this would be achieved through the building of democratic institute that would begin to orientate a new culture in the minds of those in leadership.
Meanwhile, Obi has assured of total support for all the party’s governorship and National Assembly candidates for Saturday’s election.
He said all LP candidates who got the ticket through the normal process enjoy his total commitment and support ,and urged Nigerians to vote for them on Saturday.
He mentioned in particular states like Enugu (with Chijioke Edeoga as governorship candidate), Lagos (Gbadebo Patrick Rhodes-Vivour), Abia (Mr. Alex Otti, Delta (Deacon Ken Pela), Kaduna, (Johnathan Asake) Plateau (Dr. Sunday Dakum) among others and urged the Obidient movement in these states to give them maximum support in the gubernatorial poll, saying, “wth them a foundation for a new Nigeria of our dream will be realized.”
Obi also urged his supporters and party faithful in states where LP has no flag bearer to identify and vote for competent persons in other parties who have character and capacity and who share in the aspiration of a new Nigeria.
He said that there were still some Nigerians in other political parties who believe in the Obidient aspirations, pointing out that such people should be fished out where LP have no candidate and voted for.
