Obi says he won Nigeria election, calls Tinubu's victory fraudulent
Friday March 03 2023
Nigeria's Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi talks to journalists on February 25, 2023. Obi, who lost to the ruling party APC's Bola Tinubu, said on March 2, 2023 he would challenge the result in court. PHOTO | PATRICK MEINHARDT | AFP
Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi on Thursday said he had won Saturday's election, calling Bola Tinubu's victory fraudulent and promised to claim the top job through legal means.
Tinubu, the ruling party candidate, was declared president-elect of Nigeria on Wednesday, having won 37 percent of the vote. He said the election was credible and the reported problems had no impact on the overall outcome.
The main opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who came second with 29 percent of the vote, also said that he would challenge the election result in court.
Obi, popular with young and educated urban voters, got 25 percent, according to Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
"Let me assure all Nigerians that we will explore all legal and peaceful options to reclaim our mandate," Obi, 61, told a news conference in the capital Abuja, making his first public remarks since he cast his ballot on February 25, 2023.
"We won the election, and we will prove it to Nigerians," he said.
Opposition parties speak
The opposition parties said the election was rigged and the new technology promised by INEC to make the voting process more transparent malfunctioned, eroding trust.
"The good and hardworking people of Nigeria have again been robbed by our supposed leaders," said Obi. He did not go into further detail on his accusations, saying evidence would be presented in court.
There have been numerous legal challenges to the outcome of past Nigerian presidential elections, but none has succeeded.
The row over the election comes as Nigeria is struggling with Islamist insurgencies, an epidemic of kidnappings for ransom, conflicts between farmers and herders, high inflation, widespread food insecurity and a shortage of cash that has caused chaos in people's daily lives.
"The weekend election was neither free nor fair," Atiku told journalists, adding he would contest the results in court.
"The processes and outcome were grossly flawed and must be challenged by all of us."
Both candidates questioned figures showing a low turnout at a time when there was a record number of registered voters.
INEC said total votes cast were just under 25 million, out of 87 million people with voter identity cards and eligible to vote, giving a turnout rate of 29 percent.
Tinubu was declared the winner with 8.79 million votes. Nigeria has a population of more than 200 million.
Election observers report
Election observers from the European Union and the Commonwealth reported a range of problems with the election including widespread technical system failures designed to prevent manipulation and improve transparency. They criticized INEC for poor planning but did not allege fraud.
Nigeria has a long history of political violence, although the atmosphere has mostly been calm in the aftermath of the disputed vote.
"I appeal to all Nigerians to remain peaceful, law-abiding and conduct themselves in a responsible manner," said Obi.
Tinubu has already received congratulations from several foreign leaders including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Nigeria's former colonial ruler and one of its closest diplomatic allies.
Britain's Foreign Minister, James Cleverly, also congratulated Tinubu, while calling on the Nigerian authorities to examine the country’s issues and solve them.
INEC on Thursday dismissed media reports that the problems with its election portal for transmitting and viewing results were part of a vote-rigging plan.
Obi's slick social media campaign and position as a challenger to the two parties that have alternated in power since the end of army rule in 1999 won him a devoted following among young voters calling themselves the ‘Obidients’.
Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, and Atiku Abubakar, a Nigerian former vice president, were both seen as reputable candidates. While neither generated the visible enthusiasm directed at Obi, both had powerful political machines and decades of networking behind them.
The challenge from Obi had appeared to throw the contest wide open, raising some voters' hopes for change after years of worsening hardship and violence under outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari.