- I have evidence I defeated Tinubu – Obi
- Atiku’s victory in polls clear – PDP
- APC Chairman thanks Nigerians for voting party
- President-elect relocates to Defence House
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR AND BENEDICT NWACHUKWU
The Chief Spokesman for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, has cautioned the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, to stop playing the victim despite knowing that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, was the victor.
Keyamo’s warning was a reaction to Obi’s claim that he was robbed of his mandate at a world press conference held in Abuja on Thursday.
Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party and Labour Party’s Peter Obi by 6,984,520 and 6,101,533 votes respectively.
But an emotional Obi told newsmen that the exercise did not meet the criteria for a free and credible election.
The former Anambra State governor vowed to explore legal and peaceful means to reclaim its mandate.
However, Keyamo, countered Obi’s argument, saying he is attempting to use certain irregularities outside his strongholds as proof of election rigging when there is tons of evidence of how his supporters engaged in thuggery, violence and outright falsification of figures circulating all over social media.
“He pretends to play the victim, whereas he is the greatest culprit in this game of brickbats. Mr. Peter Obi is always quick to cite some isolated incidents of irregularities outside his strongholds that could not have substantially affected the outcome of the results in those areas, whereas he deliberately fails to comment on tons and tons of evidence circulating everywhere wherein his supporters in his strongholds engaged in thuggery, hooliganism, violence and outright falsification of figures against our party and our supporters.
“Obi knows he could not have won having played the most divisive religious politics in our history and the pattern of the votes clearly show that; Obi knows he could not have won having broken out as a fragment of the main opposition, the PDP and all he could hope for was to harvest a portion of the votes of PDP in a section of the country and the results do not tell a lie; Mr. Obi knows he could not have won, when he presented himself as a tribal candidate and was only campaigning in settlements of his tribesmen in other states outside the South East instead of appealing to all and sundry.
“Obi knows he could not have won having joined the Labour Party few months ago and bought the ticket of the party without valid primaries and thereby polarised his party; Mr. Peter Obi knows he did not win because he did not even fulfill the minimum requirement of our constitution which requires a spread of 25 per cent in two-thirds of the states of the Federation. He did not even come close. With his divisive rhetoric, he could not have come close.
“It is also ludicrous that Mr. Peter Obi is laying claim to victory along with his new-found partner, the PDP that is also laying claim to victory. I tweeted this morning, thus: ‘This is the first time in my entire life that I am seeing people who came 2nd and 3rd in an exam both claiming they took first and then agreeing to protest together to the examiner to record that both of them took first, yet they are not seeing the contradiction in their actions. We stand by that comment,” Keyamo said.
According to him, the president-elect has extended a hand of fellowship to his defeated opponents, including Obi to join hands with him in nation-building as a committed patriot instead of engaging in crass grandstanding.
Tinubu clearly won fair and square -Adamu
Similarly, the national chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu has declared that Tinubu won Saturday’s election fair and square.
Adamu in his first media briefing at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja on Thursday said “Jagaban is the informed choice of the electorate. He clearly won fair and square. I offer him my very hearty congratulations. Mr. President-elect, with your victory, the people have also renewed the tenancy of our political party in Aso Rock. Ours is the party the people can trust.
“As the national chairman of APC, our victory is a humbling but proud experience for me. The people have spoken loud and clear. Their judgement was informed and supreme. The choice they made is the choice they can live with. We salute them. We salute their free and fair decision.
“We accept the victory of our presidential candidate and the party with humility and gratitude to the almighty God and the entire people of this great nation. We, of the National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee of our great party join millions of our compatriots in congratulating the president-elect and indeed all our members in celebrating the resounding victory of our party at the polls.”
Adamu maintained that the Independent National Electoral Commission, the undisputed empire of our elections, has formally announced the results of the presidential election as well as those of the national assembly.
“It declared the presidential candidate of our party, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, having met and even exceeded the constitutional requirement that to win, a presidential candidate shall score at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in two-thirds of the states of the federation. He scored at least 25 per cent in 33 states of the federation. The commission has duly issued him with the certificate of return. It is a happy day for him, our party, and our country.”
While commending the unquantifiable contributions of President Muhammadu Buhari, Adamu said, “We congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari for the peaceful conduct of the elections. He duly delivered on his promise to provide the enabling level playing field for all the political parties and their candidates. He stood for freedom of choice and action. His legacy of abiding by the rule of law shall be the hallmark of our party’s leadership in our dear country. He has cemented his place in our national history. Thank you, Mr. President, for standing by the party and especially its presidential candidate.
“We have all run a good race. The victory went to one man, but the race was not run by him alone. He won because we stood by him. He won because we, as members of the party, were committed to his victory and the victory of our party at all levels in the general elections. He won because the electorate trusted him and believed he had the capacity to heal the nation’s wounds and set it along the path of unity and prosperity. The people have entrusted their wealth and welfare to the able hands of the president-elect and the vice-president-elect.
“We have been through a grueling experience in the hands of the doomsayers. We have pulled through in one piece and demonstrated once more that fortified by our patriotism and our duty to our nation; we will always give the lie to the doomsayers.
“The victory does not belong to the president-elect and his political party alone. It also belongs to that poor woman who, against all odds and the current financial problems, still sacrificed her time and her little financial resource to go to her polling unit to cast her vote because she wants to have a say in who governs her and her country.
“The victory belongs to the security agencies who put their lives on the line and ensured the peaceful conduct of the election at all levels. It belongs to all Nigerians who collectively showed a determination to birth a new national leadership. It belongs especially to the chairman and the members of INEC. They laboured under a dark cloud of sabotage.
“INEC offices were torched in several states; its personnel were similarly attacked but Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the man who has done more than anyone else in that difficult office refused to be intimidated and be deflected from doing his duty to his country and his compatriots. Committed as he and the members of the commission were to free, fair, transparent, and credible elections, they found sustenance in the courage to serve the nation and its people and help the people institute a government of their choice. Our nation must remain grateful to them.
“We thank the mass media for their role in the conduct of the elections. They too ran a good race and must share in the victory. I congratulate the candidates of our rival political parties. Together, we ran a good race. Their loss is not a rejection of what they stand for by the people. It is in the nature of competitions among political parties that out of the many that offer themselves to serve the people, only one is chosen at any time. We recognise the victors, but we do not recognise the vanquished. Our party extends its hands of patriotism to them. We enjoin them to join our party so that together, we shall take up the same challenges for which they offered their services.”
Adamu equivocally descended on the leadership of the opposition parties; PDP LP following their conducts.
“In conclusion, I would be remiss if I fail to condemn in the strongest possible terms the shameful conduct of the leadership of PDP and the Labour Party in their unwarranted attempts to sabotage the elections and throw the country into chaos and avoidable crisis. It is a pity that they take their loss so badly. They ought to be good sportsmen and women in the political arena.
“Their protest walk out from the collation centre was childish but clearly a calculated attempt to rubbish the elections and impugn the integrity of the electoral umpire. Their call for the cancellation of the elections over their unproven allegations of electoral fraud must be the height of diabolical desperation. All patriotic citizens of this country who value peace and unity of purpose must rise with one voice to condemn these elements who want to parade themselves in the public space as the guardians of our electoral system.
“Aided by some self-appointed guardians of our nation’s conscience, they wanted to turn the victory of our party into ashes in the mouths of all Nigerians and set the country up for global opprobrium. It is condemnable and unpatriotic and unworthy of men who ought to recognise that in a democracy respect for the right of the people to freely choose their leaders through an election is the fundamental pillar of that form of government.
“Nothing in our laws and the constitution gives aggrieved individuals and groups the right to abort the unequivocal choices freely made by the people in their wisdom. Power belongs to the people and the people must be allowed to exercise it in the best way they choose in instituting the government of their choice. Our laws provide channels for the redress of electoral grievances. We urge those who feel aggrieved to avail themselves of those channels to seek redress. To set the house on fire in pursuit of a rat is not an act of courage or patriotism. It stands condemnable.”
The APC chairman said he was happy to see that the people have seen through their unpatriotic antics and rejected their attempts to set the country on fire.
He commended the highly placed and patriotic former public officers who instantly rose up in defence of the conduct of the elections and the election results and condemned the saboteurs saying they have once more risen to the challenge of saving our nation from a needless crisis.
“We salute them. We must learn to be good losers, not bad losers. It is the hallmark of good citizenship.”
I have evidence I defeated Tinubu- Obi
Obi had insisted that he defeated the APC flag bearer, Tinubu, at Saturday’s presidential polls.
Obi in his first post-election media briefing also said the election result was programmed ahead of the poll to give the APC candidate undue advantage over opponents.
The opposition party flag bearer also maintained that together with his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, he would challenge the result of the exercise in court, adding that he would stop at nothing to reclaim his mandate.
He noted “We won the election. We will explore all legal action to reclaim our mandate,” adding that since he has been asked to go to the court, he will obey and be obedient and will prove how he won the election.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the former Anambra State governor who maintained that INEC did not abide by its guidelines or the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), stressed that “the exercise failed to meet the minimum standard of a free and fair election, hence he will approach the Court to reclaim his mandate.”
According to him, the process that declared Tinubu as president-elect was faulty and “I am challenging the foundation to allow for peace. I believe in a very peaceful Nigeria. I have had several phone calls where I asked people to remain calm and peaceful.
He further added, “I am challenging the process. If the process is faulty, it is faulty. In fact you can’t build peace on a faulty foundation. The foundation has to be right for peace.
“Nigeria cannot conduct an election 63 years after independence and it will be like this,” as he underscored that the election coming up on March 11 should be accorded the same seriousness.
This is as he asked LP members and supporters in the country not to be wary but to troop out and vote the party’s candidates in the forthcoming March 11 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections nationwide.
“I enjoin you to campaign and bring out people to vote. We still have so many massive contestants in our sub-nationals. I assure you that I will be part of it. We will build a country,” Obi, who earlier asked that a minute of silence be observed for those who lost their lives during the election, prayed that God will continue to bless and protect the country.
“I have never directly or indirectly spoken or released any message since after voting last Saturday. Anything you see in the media, disregard it. This is my first time speaking.
“For me, it is very important to speak to Nigerians who on the 25 of February as committed citizens trooped out to vote in a supposedly free and fair national election.
“But in all things, we give thanks to God first. Second, I give gratitude to Nigerians that participated in the election. Number three, gratitude to Nigerians especially the youth that believed and worked tirelessly for a new Nigeria. I thank them for the hard work. Gratitude to all ‘Obedients’ who believe a new Nigeria is possible and I am assuring you that a new Nigeria is possible.
“Myself and Datti are committed to a new Nigeria. I don’t know how they feel now, but the unwarranted attacks show that a new Nigeria is possible, seeing Jenifer who was attacked but ensures she voted.
“It is a clear violation of the electoral rule and guidelines that we were assured of.
“It will go down as the most controversial election ever conducted in Nigeria. Let me appeal to all Nigerians to remain peaceful and humble. I assure you that this is not the end, but the beginning of a journey for a better and a new Nigeria.
“We want a new Nigeria built on honesty, fairness and justice. We will do the right thing to gather confidence to lead. Leaders should not act rascally and deliberately discard the rule of law.
“We insisted that we will be governed by the rule of law. We will explore all legal action to reclaim our mandate. We won the election. We will build a country,” he stated.
Obi also cleared the air on possible alliance with any opposition party, saying that he was not in alliance with any political party.
“We are not in talk with other parties, we are meeting as aggrieved parties. If we use the process we used today in the election, how are we going to arrest the kidnappers? On this issue, I am challenging the process.”
Atiku’s victory clear – PDP
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, vowed to challenge the victory of Tinubu in last Saturday’s presidential election.
This was as the spokesperson for the party, Debo Ologunagba, said, “The PDP holds that Its Presidential Candidate, Abubakar clearly won the Feb. 25 Presidential election, having evidently scored the majority of lawful votes cast by Nigerians at the Polling Units.”
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Atiku described the election that produced Tinubu as president-elect as a “rape of democracy”.
“This battle to right the wrongs of Saturday is not about me. It is a continuation of my battles to deepen democracy and for a better life for our people. It is about the future of Nigerian youths.
“I know that Nigerians, especially the youth, are traumatized by the developments, but I want to urge them to conduct themselves peacefully. Like I have done over the years, I assure you that I will commit the rest of my life in ensuring that true democracy, which affirms the supremacy of your votes and your will, will take firm footing and guarantee a stable, prosperous and peaceful Nigeria. This is more so as Nigeria represents the hope of Africa and the Black World,” he said.
Atiku said that the 2023 presidential election presented Nigeria with a rare opportunity for the country’s reset but was allegedly truncated by the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“The 2023 presidential election presented our nation and its people with the greatest opportunity for a reset. We had everything going for us: a legal framework in the 2022 Electoral Act and the BVAS technology. The enthusiasm of Nigerians to turn out and in large numbers was an added bonus.
“However, the dreams and aspirations of Nigerians who braced all the challenges to go and cast their votes on Saturday, 25th of February, 2023, were shattered by the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission, which failed to live up to expectations. The weekend election was neither free nor fair.
“Preliminary assessments indicate that it is the worst conducted elections since the return to democratic rule. The manipulation and fraud that attended this election was unprecedented in the history of our nation.
“I can still not understand why the electoral umpire was in such a hurry to conclude collation and announcement of the result, given the number of complaints of irregularities of bypassing of the BVAS, failure of uploading to the IREV, and unprecedented cancellations and disenfranchisement of millions of voters in breach of the Electoral Act and the commission’s own guidelines. It was indeed a rape of democracy.
“Having consulted with leaders of our party and Nigerians from different walks of life, I have come to the conclusion that the processes and outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly election of last Saturday was grossly flawed in every material particular, and as such must be challenged.”
Tinubu relocates to Defence House, Abuja
Be that as it may, the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, will be moving to the Defence Guest House in Maitama District of Abuja.
He will function at the Defence Guest House until he is sworn-in as President on May 29, 2023.
“The President-elect will be moving into Defence House, in Maitama, FCT, where he will spend the next couple of months, and from where he will move into the Presidential Villa,” a tweet by the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council read on Thursday.
From the Defence House, Tinubu will receive briefings and hold key meetings as President-elect.
The Spokesperson of the APC PCC, Festus Keyamo, said he could not confirm the actual time the President-elect will move into his new abode.
This is not a new development as the current President, Muhammadu Buhari, also lodged at the same location months before his inauguration on May 29, 2015.
Afterward, he moved into his official residence at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
