The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, has urged the Nigerian judiciary to use the election cases now before it to reaffirm its independence and integrity.

Obi and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, are challenging the election of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja.

The LP presidential candidate, in a statement issued on Monday to mark the May 29 inauguration of the President-elect, noted that the judiciary is part of the democratic enterprise and a critical governance tool for determining the propriety of the decisions and actions of every citizen and every institution of the country.

Obi said: “We expect that the Nigerian judiciary will use the election cases now before it to reaffirm its independence and integrity. It has to do so, for all our sakes and for itself. Nigerians must, therefore, remain peaceful and law-abiding.

“No matter the depth of anyone’s reservations about what is going on in the polity today, no matter the real and imagined provocations, and no matter the disagreement out there, we should remember that this will not last forever.”

The former two-term of Anambra State stated that the conduct and outcome of the 2023 general election have showcased the “troubled state of our democracy”, adding: “While a minority, indeed a handful of partisans, seem satisfied with the conduct of the election and the results, the majority of Nigerian voters and many international observers remain confounded by the process and the outcome.

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“Serious reservations have been expressed by a significant majority of stakeholders about the shortcomings of the elections. But it is not for anyone to take the laws into his hands.”

Obi stressed that he is on the same page with Nigerians in rejecting the present conditions of the country, saying: “Like the majority of Nigerians, I reject the present shameful condition of our country. I reject the widespread criminal plundering of our nation’s wealth by those who are called to manage it and serve the people.

“I also reject, without reservations, the growing impression that our nation is one in which the most important requirements for 21st-century nationhood can be routinely violated with impunity.”

Speaking on why contested the 2023 presidential election, Obi said: “It is because we need good, and focused, leadership that I contested the February 25 presidential election. I sought the exalted office to end the current situation, wherein we use our scarce human resources to train manpower for even more developed nations.

“It bears repetition, to say that my race for the 2023 election was fueled by the desire to reverse these negative trends. I remain committed, and untiring, in my determination to work with like-minded fellow Nigerians to end the curse of missed opportunities and squandered hope that has become our lot here.

“I will never shrink from that original commitment, because I firmly believe that we must change from the present politics of criminality, and corruption, to make a new Nigeria possible.”

The LP presidential flag-bearer, therefore, urged Nigerians, especially the youths to remain steadfast, calm, patient, and peaceful.

Obi added: “As we await the verdict of the election tribunal, I urge all Nigerians to use this opportunity to renew their commitment to the Nigerian ideal. That ideal remains noble and worth every sacrifice we can make.

“Nigeria remains our only patrimony and it is a patrimony we must protect, rather than violate. We have no other nation but this, so let us remain committed to rescuing and rebuilding it.

“Our journey may be long and difficult but it is worth it in every way. Victory is assured. We have to work together to move our beautiful country from corruption and criminality to a centre of productivity rather than aimless consumption.”

The Star