We’ll meet in court, Tinubu reacts to Peter Obi’s claim of winning presidency

President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has responded to Peter Obi’s announcement that he will go to court to contest the results of the February 25 Presidential election.

In a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Director of Media & Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Tinubu said that Peter Obi’s claims of winning the election were “very weird and wild.”

Tinubu welcomed Peter Obi’s decision to seek redress in court as an aggrieved party, describing it as “the most decent, statesmanlike and civilized course of action to take.”

He added that going to court was part of the electoral process and was surely better than calling supporters to the streets and instigating social unrest.

The statement also refuted Peter Obi’s claims that the election was not free and fair. Tinubu stated that it was one of the most transparent and peaceful elections in the history of Nigeria.

He explained that the process was credible, which made it possible for Mr. Obi’s Labour Party to record the over six million votes it got contrary to pre-election forecast.

Tinubu stated that the fact that Labour Party and Mr. Obi surprised bookmakers by winning in states such as Lagos State, Nasarawa, Plateau, Delta, and Edo where there are sitting governors of either the All Progressives Congress or the Peoples Democratic Party, attests to the credibility of the election process. He further explained that the Labour Party also swept the entire five South East states under the control of either APGA, PDP, or APC.

However, Tinubu warned Peter Obi to be prepared to tell the world how his party won over 90% of votes in his region of South East while other parties got almost nothing. He added that there was evidence of voter suppression, intimidation, and harassment in South East, especially of those who came out to vote for their party.

Tinubu also refuted Peter Obi’s allegations of rigging in over 40,000 polling units across the country, especially in North West and North East where his party had no party agents and did not sign result sheets as required by law.

Tinubu concluded that Peter Obi did not win the presidential election and could not have won under any circumstances. He explained that Mr. Obi anchored his presidential campaign on the failed strategy of ethnicity and religion, which has hobbled the progress of Nigeria for decades. Tinubu added that Nigerians rejected an ethnic and religious bigot through their ballots.

Tinubu stated that the lesson in Mr. Obi’s defeat in the election is that no politician in Nigeria can win a presidential race by being a sectional and an anointed candidate of any religion.

He concluded by saying that the President-elect who was the candidate of their party won a Pan Nigeria mandate in a free, fair, and credible election and is ready and prepared to assume office.