Obi urges judiciary to use election petitions to redeem its image
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi has tasked the judiciary to use election petitions adjudication to assert its independence, integrity, and image battered through the influence of corrupt politicians.
He also urged Nigerians to face the current reality and seek ways to change bad narratives through legal and acceptable means.
Both Obi and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar are challenging Bola Tinubu’s victory at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) seeking to overturn his election on several grounds, including the allegation Tinubu:
- Did not score the majority of lawful votes cast, as defined in the Electoral Act.
- Did not get 25 per cent of the votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) specified in the Constitution.
- Committed perjury by swearing on oath that he owns a degree certificate from Chicago State University, which belongs to a – as shown in her gender (F), date of birth (29 March 1954), and secondary school (Government College, Lagos) in the form she filled, all of which contradict Tinubu’s own biodata.
Obi and Atiku each went to court to reclaim his “mandate” they claim was stolen by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and given to Tinubu.
Obi insisted it is imperative for his supporters and all Nigerians to review “our missed opportunities and disappointments” sequel to the inauguration of Tinubu as President, and also pressed the need for the judiciary to prove its independence.
“For all Nigerians, this is a time for deep reflection. It is also a time to re-examine our assumptions, even as we reaffirm our hopes.
“Let us calmly review our aspirations, in order to recalibrate our expectations and pin down the causes of our missed opportunities and disappointments,” Obi insisted in Twitter posts.
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Nigeria ‘our only patrimony’
“We stand at that critical moment in time when, as a people, we must collectively come to grips with the reality of our injured destiny as well as the reasons for that injury,” Obi added, per The PUNCH.
“It is for us to reassess our plight as a young democracy and identify clear pathways to a better and greater future for us all.
“As we await the verdict of the election tribunal, I urge all Nigerians to use this opportunity to renew their commitment to the Nigerian ideal. That ideal remains noble and worth every sacrifice we can make.
“Nigeria remains our only patrimony and it is a patrimony we must protect, rather than violate. We have no other nation but this, so let us remain committed to rescuing and rebuilding it.
“The judiciary is part of the democratic enterprise and a critical governance tool for determining the propriety of the decisions and actions of every citizen and every institution of state. To that extent, and for that reason,
“I urge everyone to treat it with the respect and dignity it deserves. We expect that the Nigerian judiciary will use the election cases now before it to reaffirm its independence and integrity. It has to do so, for all our sakes and for itself.”
Remaining peaceful and law-abiding
“Nigerians must, therefore, remain peaceful and law-abiding. No matter the depth of anyone’s reservations about what is going on in the polity today, no matter the real and imagined provocations, and no matter the disagreement out there, we should remember that this will not last forever.
“I remain committed, and untiring, in my determination to work with like-minded fellow Nigerians to end the curse of missed opportunities and squandered hope that has become our lot here.
“I will never shrink from that original commitment, because I firmly believe that we must change from the present politics of criminality, and corruption, in order to make a new Nigeria possible.
“I call on fellow Nigerians, especially the youths, to remain steadfast, calm, patient, and peaceful. Our journey may be long and difficult but it is worth it in every way.
“Victory is assured. We have to work together to move our beautiful country from corruption and criminality to a centre of productivity rather than aimless consumption.”
