Peter Obi rejects election result, heads to court

Peter Obi

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on Thursday said he would explore all legal options to reclaim his mandate, insisting that he won the February 25 poll.

Addressing reporters in Abuja for the first time since the election, Obi said the poll would go down as the most controversial election conducted in Nigeria.

“We will explore all legal and peaceful options to reclaim our mandate. We won the election and we will prove it to Nigerians.

“I am challenging the process. This is very unfair. It is the least expected of Nigeria,” he said.

The electoral umpire, INEC, on Wednesday announced Bola Tinubu of the APC as the winner of the election after garnering over 8 million votes. The commission said Obi was the second runner-up with 6.1 million votes while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was the first runner-up with 6.9 million votes.

Obi, meanwhile, said he and his running mate Datti Baba-Ahmed remain committed to a new Nigeria.

He observed a minute silence for all injured and deceased victims of the February 25 poll.

The former Anambra State governor also effusively thanked his youthful followers known as ‘Obidients’, urging them not to be deterred by the outcome of the polls.

Also in attendance at the press conference was the party’s national chairman, Julius Abure; as well as the director general of Obi’s presidential campaign, Akin Osuntokun.