Abuja, March 3 (IANS) Peter Obi of Nigeria’s Labor Party (LP) said they would head to court to challenge the outcome of the recently-held presidential election in the country.
Obi told reporters here on Thursday that he would follow all available legal and peaceful procedures to reclaim the party’s mandate in court, alleging that the election process was “flawed”, reports Xinhua news agency
“It was a clear deviation from the electoral rules and guidelines as promised,” the LP presidential candidate said, claiming he was robbed of his mandate.
Bola Tinubu from the ruling All Progressives Congress party won the presidential election with more than 8.79 million ballots,.
The 70-year-old president-elect defeated his closest rival, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
Abubakar got over 6.98 million votes and was closely trailed by Obi, who came in third place by securing about 6.1 million votes.
The election was one of the most hotly contested races in the country’s history, with Tinubu losing Lagos, his stronghold in the country’s southwest region, to Obi.
Tinubu, who served as a former Lagos State governor and senator, had been eyeing the presidency for years to build a strong political structure with a vast network of supporters nationwide.
He campaigned for the presidency under the slogan: “It’s my turn”.
Incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari will step down after two terms in office, marked by economic stagnation and growing insecurity around the country.
–IANS
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