I’m Confident Judiciary Will Restore My ‘Stolen Mandate’—Obi

The candidate of the Labour Party in the just concluded presidential elections has expressed confidence in the judiciary to help restore what he described as his ‘stolen mandate’ in the aftermath of the February 25 presidential polls.

Obi who came third in the election, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, is challenging the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president-elect, despite infractions during the keenly contested polls.

While featuring on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, the LP candidate said his faith in the Nigerian judicial system is unflinching having gone through the courts twice as Anambra state governor.

He noted that the Nigerian judiciary is one of the best globally but politicians have corrupted the courts.

“I am confident in the judiciary. I am because I have stayed in court for three years when people said it was impossible for you to become a governor through the court and I became the first (to reclaim a stolen mandate).

“Remember I was impeached and again the court brought me back. And I went for interpretation where I said, ‘My tenure is not complete’. People said it’s impossible because somebody else had been elected but I changed it.

“So, having gone through courts, several of them, I have not had any cause to doubt the court.

“I believe Nigeria has one of the best judiciary globally, but it is we, the politicians, because of our transactional nature, that are trying to ensure that everywhere is corrupted. That I wish can start reversing, even with this case.

“They are seeing globally what is happening, Africans are surprised that the giant of Africa can no longer deliver. Even Ghana will soon have elections and they will do all without the BVAS and it will go smoothly.

“I don’t go anywhere referring to how others were treated. Irrespective of their judgements recently, I have confidence that they know the country is collapsing, they know they have to help to build a better place for their children.”

Commenting on the presidential polls, Obi expressed disappointment that INEC spent over $1bn to conduct the worst election in Nigeria’s recent history

“We have seen probably what I consider the worst election in our recent history because of the Electoral law [Act] of 2022 which gave so much hope and the huge expenditure we put into technology,” the former Anambra State governor said.

“Do you know what it means to spend over $1bn? So, there was so much that was promised and then we went back to what it used to be. For me, that is very devastating.”

“Everybody paid so much emphasis on the law and the technology,” he maintained, describing the failures of the exercise as “when you promise so much and don’t even meet the minimum”.

He added, “I am not hurt or saddened personally but I am for my country and the future it portends for the young ones and the future generation because we can’t go on this way. We must build and bequeath them a better future.”