Peter Obi refuses to accept Inec declaration promising to challenge election results in court

FORMER Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has declared that believes he won last Saturday's presidential elections in Nigeria and will now seek legal redress to claim what he says was his stolen mandate.

Nigerians went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president and in the early hours of yesterday morning, Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) declared Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner. Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Inec chairman who served as the returning officer for the election, declared Asiwaju Tinubu the winner with 8,794,726  votes, defeating his nearest opponent, former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who came second with 6,984,520 votes.

Among the main frontrunners in the elections were Asiwaju Tinubu, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Kano State governor Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and Governor Obi of the Labour Party. Governor Obi was the surprise package of the elections as his Labour Party came from nowhere to win 12 states.

According to Governor Obi, he was robbed of his mandate which he can only retrieve in a court of law. Speaking today for the first time since the election, Governor Obi said the result of the election was programmed and announced in a clear violation of electoral rules and guidelines, as promised.

Governor Obi said: “We’ll explore all legal options to retrieve our mandate. We won the election.

"I’m fully committed to a better future for the country and nothing can stop that. For the election on Saturday go out there and vote. I’ll be part of it, I assure you."

Next Saturday, there will be gubernatorial and state houses of assemblies elections and Governor Obi urged his supporters to ensure they did well in those too. He also said last Saturday's presidential elections would go down as one of the most controversial in the history of Nigeria.

According to Governor Obi,  Nigerians had been robbed by supposed leaders whom they trusted. He has faulted the process through which Inec declared Asiwaju Tinubu as the winner of the election.

Governor Obi added: "The results of the election, as programmed and announced, is a clear violation of electoral rules and guidelines, as promised by Inec. It will go down as one of the most controversial elections in the history of Nigeria and Nigerians have been robbed by supposed leaders whom they trusted.”