Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has come under fire from the Bola Tinubu administration for rejecting the ruling of the Supreme Court, arguing that neither Obi nor his lawyers had provided any proof in court.
The administration said in a statement released on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, that Obi was free to run for president of Nigeria again in 2027 and to focus on “issues and not religious or ethnic sentiments.”
The former governor of Anambra State claimed that the Supreme Court’s decision “is a show of unreasonable force against the Nigerian people from whom the power of the constitution derives” and that it undermines the public’s faith in Nigeria’s judicial system.
In response, the presidency remarked, “We are at a loss as to how the copy-cat Obi and his faction of Labour Party convinced themselves they won an election in which they came in a distant third,” in a statement headed, “Peter Obi should find a better vocation instead of casting aspersions on the judiciary.”
“More research should be done on the grand delusion that led Obi to think he could have won a national election in which he ran the most hateful, polarising, and divisive campaign, pitting Muslims against Christians and one ethnic group against the other in a multiethnic and multireligious society like Nigeria.
Obi contradicted himself during the press conference when he made vain attempts to deceive Nigerians with bogus allegations and innuendos. This person, who had previously benefited from court rulings, was now criticising the same court for its decision not to suit him.
In an election appeal in which the Labour Party candidate filed the most flimsy and absurd petition before any court in Nigerian electoral history, Obi claimed the Supreme Court justices disregarded public opinion in rendering what has been hailed as a most profound ruling.
“He made bogus accusations of electoral fraud and other irregularities, but neither at the court of first instance nor at the supreme court was able to provide any proof to support his assertions. In an abortive attempt to galvanise and hold onto his supporters, Obi offered them the bleak optimism that he would win the election and would provide proof in court. His attorneys did not offer any alternative results during the trial that differed from the ones signed by all party agents from the 176,000 voting units and the ones INEC uploaded on the IReV platform.
“We question the Labour Party candidate’s expectation that the courts would uphold justice based on untrue stories, lies, and rumours spread by zealous supporters and partisans of his Obedient Movement.
The Labour Party candidate was supposed to be aware that the Supreme Court, like any other court, does not render decisions based on the opinions of the general public or mob feelings. Evidence, prior decisions, and the rule of law serve as the foundation for judicial decisions.
In a spirit of statesmanship, Obi ought to have congratulated President Tinubu on his victory and offered his support, acknowledging that the Supreme Court’s decision put an end to litigation and any challenge to his legitimacy as the duly elected leader of Nigeria and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
But instead, he raised unrelated issues that he believed the supreme court ought to have taken into account before announcing his victory. From our vantage point, the sinking Obi, like Atiku, was only trying to cling to some new accusations that only existed in his and his followers’ imaginations.
The majority of Nigerians rejected Mr. Peter Obi, believing him unfit to lead our nation, and we advise him to find another noble endeavour with which to occupy his time going forward.
Because Peter Obi presented a threat to the peace, growth, and stability of our nation both now and in the future, Nigerians rejected him and his demagoguery at the polls.
“Obi’s past as the eight-year governor of Anambra did not instill trust in him as a capable leader of a nation the size of Nigeria. He was not endorsed for the Nigerian presidency based on any concrete records of accomplishment in the state he oversaw.
“All men and women of goodwill are uniting in support of President Tinubu in his determination to usher in a new era of prosperity, inclusive governance, and economic growth in Nigeria. If Peter Obi genuinely believes in Nigeria, now is the time to prove it.” Lastly, we are happy to have Obi and his party assume the opposition role while they get ready for a rerun in 2027. By then, hopefully, he would run on issues rather than inflaming racial and religious tensions as he did in the previous campaign.
