The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 presidential election, Peter Obi, has said categorically that he is not in any form of alliance with Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or any other opposition political party as he is set to challenge the outcome of the election in court.
Obi, who made the clarification on Thursday in Abuja during his first press conference after the election, described the presidential and National Assembly elections as the “most controversial” elections ever held in Nigeria, saying that the elections did not meet the minimum standard of free, fair and credible election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the early hours of Wednesday declared Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
According to the electoral umpire, Tinubu, a 70-year-old former Lagos State governor polled a total of 8,794,726 votes to his closest contender, former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who secured a total of 6,984,520 votes and Obi who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes.
Atiku, Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) who came fourth with a total of 1,496,687 votes have rejected the outcome of the election, alleging irregularities and violation of constitution and Electoral Act, 2022 by the INEC during the process.
But during the press conference, when Obi was asked if he is in alliance with the PDP and other opposition parties as he set to challenge the outcome of the election in court, the former governor of Anambra State said, “We are not in alliance. We are discussing and are in partnership with the other people and any other Nigerian who feels hurt with the process.”
Obi also said that he was not consulting with any international community over the outcome of the election unless he was strictly invited by any foreign government, insisting that the issue was a Nigerian problem and should be solved within the country without engaging the international community.
He said, “Quite frankly, unless on invitational, I’m not engaging any international community or international body because I believe this is a Nigeria problem and this is the time we start solving our problem. Elections have been conducted, and in all parts of Africa, nobody has seen what we are going through. So, I’m not consulting any.”