Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has recalled how late former President Umaru Yar’Adua said he would accept defeat and leave office if he lost an election, urging political leaders to follow that example.
Mr Obi spoke on Monday night during an interview on Arise News, where he reflected on his experience during Yar’Adua’s administration.
He said the former president supported stability within opposition parties and encouraged a system where all parties could function.
“I recall him calling the INEC chairman then and saying, ‘I don’t want any problem in the opposition party. I want the parties to be stable, functioning very well, and we will have free, credible, transparent elections. If I lose as a sitting president, I will go home,’” Obi said.
He added that such an approach helped strengthen the country’s democratic system and should guide current political actors.
“The government should ensure the protection of the opposition. In fact, they should make the opposition stronger,” he said.
Obi also raised concerns about the current state of democracy, saying some leaders have not maintained the positions they once held.
“Look at what has happened to democracy; it is now being destroyed by those who yesterday were victims of the same thing,” he said.
He said some politicians who once demanded accountability have failed to act the same way when given power.
“People who were shouting to the world, threatening to bring down everything if the right things are not done and now, when they have the opportunity, that’s what is surprising me in Nigeria,” he added.
Obi called for a return to practices that support fair elections and respect for the outcome of the process.
