A Nigerian political analyst, Barr. Obol Okoi Obono-Obla, has sided with the ruling on the presidential election petition presented to the country’s appeal court by Peter Obi’s Labour Party.
Nigeria’s Court of Appeal has rejected a challenge to Bola Tinubu’s narrow victory in February’s presidential election.
After a six-hour verdict, the court said the appeal by Peter Obi’s Labour Party was without merit and dismissed all of his arguments, including fraud.
The court’s verdict on the challenge by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party is expected shortly.
However, in a press statement reacting to the ruling, Peter Obi’s Labour Party believes the judgment does not reflect the will and desires of the masses.
Speaking to Citi News in an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Obono-Obla said, “We were not expecting a legal judgment that would reflect the will of the people. Otherwise, it is the other way around. If the court had given a judgment that is against the will of the people, then we would say that that is not democracy because the people should vote and elect their candidate of choice. It is not by going to court to ask the court to overrule the will of the people.”
“So I don’t know what they are talking about, but I think that that judgment is in the will of the people. Tinubu won the case, Tinubu won the elections fair and square. But from what I have seen, it is going to be a tight case for them, and I don’t see the Supreme Court overturning the judgment of the Court of Appeal.”
