• Friday, April 19, 2024
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BusinessDay

I’m confident tribunal would restore my mandate – Peter Obi

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has said that he was optimistic that the judiciary would restore his mandate because Nigeria’s judiciary was one of the finest in the world and had delivered in the past.

Obi stated this during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily Thursday morning.

He however, stated that some politicians were trying to corrupt the judiciary.

The LP presidential candidate is challenging the outcome of the presidential poll at the presidential election petition tribunal, claiming that there was large scale irregularities across the country.

He is also dissatisfied with the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit election result electronically through the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the Results Viewing Portal (IREV) on Election Day which was supposed to be a major technology deployed during the polls to enhance a free and free election.

The former Anambra State governor also said that he had left the election matter for his lawyers to relate with, stressing that he was optimistic his lawyers had gotten favourable response from INEC.

Read also: Presidential poll: Atiku, PDP withdraw fresh application against INEC

According to him, “They are now dealing with the lawyers. I don’t go to INEC, I’m not part of it. Well, I believe the lawyers are satisfied and if they are, it is no longer about me trusting INEC, there’s now something between the two of us.

“So, if our lawyers trust them, I’m fine with that. 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 judgments 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.”