Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 Presidential Election, Mr. Peter Obi has described the Supreme Court judgment that affirmed the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s election as Nigeria’s president as a breach of the citizens’ confidence in the nation’s judiciary.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday in his official reaction on the Supreme Court ruling on the outcome of the Presidential Election Petitions filed by him and the party, Obi accused the apex court of ignoring evidence which he said further dampens citizens’ trust in the judiciary.
He criticised the Supreme Court for the outcome of the case, stating that: “Without equivocation, this judgment amounts to a total breach of the confidence the Nigerian people have in our judiciary. To that extent, it is a show of unreasonable force against the very Nigerian people from whom the power of the Constitution derives.
“This Supreme Court ruling may represent the state of the law in 2023 but not the present demand for substantive justice. The judgment mixed principles and precepts.
“Indeed, the rationale and premise of the Supreme Court judgment, have become clearer in the light of the deep revealing and troubling valedictory remarks by Hon. Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad, (JSC) on Friday 27th October 2023.”
The former Governor of Anambra State lamented the state of the nation since the court verdict, but assured his supporters that the quest for a new Nigeria has not ended.
According to him: “This is Not the End. Where the value and import of the recent Supreme Court ruling ends is where our commitment to a New Nigeria begins. Our mission and mandate remain unchanged. From the very onset, our mission has been more about enthroning a new Nigeria.
“It is a new nation where things work, where the country is led from its present waste and consumption orientation to a production-driven economy. Our commitment is to a nation anchored on the principles of prudent management of resources to quickly pull millions out of multidimensional poverty, ensuring transparency and accountability in the equitable distribution of opportunities, resources, and privileges.
“In the new Nigeria, we aim to address all unmet needs by showing compassion for all those left behind by the present system.”
