“We’ll show it to Nigerians” that we gained the elections – Peter Obi challenges outcomes

Nigeria’s presidential candidate Peter Obi, who got here third within the February 25 election gained by the ruling get together’s Bola Tinubu, introduced Thursday that he would take his case to court docket to problem the outcomes.

“We’ll discover all authorized and peaceable choices to get our mandate again. We gained the election and we are going to show it to Nigerians,” Obi of the Labour Social gathering (LP) mentioned at a press convention within the capital Abuja.

In keeping with the Electoral Fee (Inec), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 70, gained the presidential election with greater than 8.8 million votes, or 36% of the vote, on the finish of a ballot contested by the opposition, which denounced “large” fraud.

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the previous governor of Lagos, will succeed the outgoing president Muhammadu Buhari, 80, who has been criticized from all sides for his deplorable file and his two phrases marked by an explosion of poverty and insecurity.

Peter Obi, 61, a youth favorite, got here third with 25% of the vote, a primary in Nigeria’s democratic historical past for an outsider from the 2 important political teams. The second-place winner is former vice-president Abubakar (29%) of the principle opposition get together (PDP).

The election, which was typically peaceable, was marked by delays within the counting of votes and main failures within the digital switch of outcomes, angering many citizens and opposition events who declare that the votes had been massively rigged.

“This election will go down as probably the most controversial ever held in Nigeria,” Obi mentioned.

“The Nigerian folks (…) have as soon as once more been robbed by our supposedly trusted leaders.

Prior to now, elections in Africa’s most populous nation have typically been marred by allegations of fraud and violence.

On Wednesday, Mr. Tinubu referred to as on his opponents to “group up collectively”: “I ask you to hitch us in order that we are able to begin rebuilding our nationwide residence collectively.

Nicknamed the “godfather”, the “kingmaker” or the “boss” for his appreciable affect, Mr. Tinubu has been repeatedly accused of corruption throughout his profession, with out ever being convicted.

Candidates who need to contest the election have 21 days after the outcomes are introduced to file a lawsuit.