Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has clarified his earlier statement about challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election won by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In an interview on Arise TVs The Morning Show on Monday, March 13, Obi had said he would only challenge the process that led to the declaration of Tinubu as the winner, and not the outcome itself. However, later on Monday, he took to Twitter to reveal that he would challenge both the electoral process and the declaration itself at the Presidential Elections Tribunal (PET).
Obi explained that his initial statement had been misconstrued, saying that he was challenging the process through which Tinubu was declared the winner. He stressed that the process of coming into office was more important than what people did thereafter, and that unless the process was excellent, the rascality witnessed in the election would continue.
In his tweet, Obi said that he was challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) electoral process that led to the declaration of Tinubu as president-elect, as well as the declaration itself. The clarification came after several Nigerians had criticised Obi's initial statement, saying that it was not enough to challenge the process without also challenging the outcome.
The Labour Party had earlier rejected the outcome of the election, alleging that it was rigged in favour of Tinubu. The party had also called for the cancellation of the election and a fresh one conducted.
Obi's clarification has been welcomed by many Nigerians, who believe that it is important to challenge both the process and the outcome of the election. They have called on other candidates who lost in the election to also challenge the results at the tribunal.
The presidential election was marred by violence, thuggery, and result manipulations, according to several reports. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some other political parties had also rejected the outcome, calling for the cancellation of the election and a fresh one conducted.
The PET has been set up to hear petitions from candidates who contested the election and are dissatisfied with the outcome. The tribunal is expected to determine whether the election was free, fair, and credible, and whether the results declared by INEC were valid.
The outcome of the presidential election has generated a lot of controversies, with many Nigerians expressing doubts about the credibility of the process. The tribunal is expected to provide a platform for aggrieved parties to seek redress and ensure that justice is done.
