Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has rejected the results of the Nigerian presidential election held on Saturday, describing it as the “worst in the history of the country.” In a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday evening, Mr Abubakar revealed that the outcome of the election would be challenged in court.
Mr Abubakar claimed that the electoral process was “grossly manipulated” and that there were several irregularities that marred the entire exercise. According to him, the irregularities ranged from vote-buying to ballot-box stuffing, as well as voter intimidation, harassment, and suppression in certain parts of the country.
He said, “I have come to the conclusion that the process of the election was grossly manipulated…it is the worst in the history of our country’s democracy and the results must be challenged in court.”
Mr Abubakar's comments come a few hours after Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), also rejected the election results, citing similar reasons. Mr Obi, who came third in the election, insisted that he had won the election and promised to provide evidence to back up his claim.
“We won the election, and we will prove it to Nigerians,” Mr Obi told reporters during a world press conference held in Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Wednesday, declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the presidential election after he polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat Mr Abubakar, who came second with 6,984,520 votes. Mr Obi, on the other hand, polled 6,101,533 votes.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, also subsequently issued Mr Tinubu a “Certificate of Return” the same day.
Mr Abubakar, however, remains adamant that the election was flawed, and he intends to challenge the results in court. He called on his supporters to remain calm and peaceful, as the PDP prepares to take legal action to contest the results.
The presidential election was seen as a major test for Nigeria’s democracy, and the outcome was keenly watched by the international community. The African Union, the United Nations, and several other organizations had called for a free, fair, and transparent election, and had urged all parties to accept the results in good faith.