**Urges ‘Obidients’ to Vote Labour Party March 11
By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The Presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Gregory Obi has broken his silence over the outcome of February 25 Presidential election, insisting that he clearly
won the election and will prove it to Nigerians in the court of law.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Obi who by the accounts of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) won 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in last Saturday’s Presidential election said he did not accept the result of the Presidential election and will head to the court as has been directed by the INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu to retrieve his mandate.
The LP Presidential flagbearer said he and his Vice Presidential candidate, Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed are determined to go the whole hog to prove that they won the election while pointing accusing fingers to the electoral umpire for falling short of the expectations of Nigerians in the conduct of the election.
Said he: “I have never spoken to the media since Saturday I made comments after casting my vote in my village. Any statement credited to me is false. Now, I want to use this opportunity to say what happened in Nigeria last weekend was a tragedy. The election was flawed in every sense of the word.
“The INEC deceived Nigerians and we all fell for it without knowing that they are up to something. They told us that the election will be done electronic; that BVAS will be used and transmission of results done electronically and Nigerians will view the results realtime but that did not happen”.
Speaking further the two-time Governor of Anambra state alleged that the election was marred by massive irregularities, accusing the INEC of manipulating the election results to favour the “preferred candidate” as against the will of the majority of Nigerian voters.
Said he: “They should have told us that there is no need to go for the election. Look at the billions of naira of taxpayers money given to INEC and see the poor job they did. The election was flawed because of the irregularities and violence against the Nigerian electorates including my supporters across the country.
“Against all odds, our supporters trooped out enmass to vote for Labour Party across the country. We won the election and we’ll prove it, also as an Obidient man, I will go to court where am directed to go”.
Dismissing the declaration made by INEC in the wee hours of Wednesday, when the Commission announced the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu the Winner of February 25 election, Obi said: “If you must be referred to as “Your Excellency” then the process through which you arrive in office must be “Excellent”.
Obi stated that he and Datti are not backing down from the pursuit of justice hence they will challenge the result declared by INEC in the court of law, insisting that they want to dismantle the “Structure of Criminality” unleashed on the Nigerian society by the privilege few in the country.
He however assured Nigerians especially the youth who voted massively for him and Datti that a New Nigeria is Possible as he urged the youth not to be discouraged by what happened last Saturday but remain resolute in the face of tribulations.
According to him he and his running mate are determined to be in the forefront of the fight to build a society based on equity, justice and fairness, promising not to abandon the Nigerian youth no matter the outcome.
“To the Nigerian youth, I am not going to go away because I and Datti want to lead from the front. No matter how long the night is there must be day. So I urge the youth not to be discouraged, please let’s go out again next Saturday, March 11 to vote massively for Labour Party candidates in states across Nigeria. We have to show resilience, we must not allow the evil forces to break us”, Obi pleaded to his supporters.
The highpoint of the Abuja media briefing was when Obi broke down in tears narrating the pathetic story of a youth and a graduate of Nasarawa State University who is serving as a tea girl in a eatry because she could not afford the sum of N75,000 to buy baking oven to practice what she studied in the University.
He said it is for the betterment of such suffering youth, men and women of Nigeria that he decided to contest for the Presidency to change their destiny.
