The Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, expressed confidence in the judiciary’s ability to deliver a fair judgment in the case before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, where he is challenging the result of the February 25 presidential election. Speaking live on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday morning, Obi said he had no reason to doubt the courts, describing Nigeria as having “one of the finest judiciaries in the world.” He added that it is politicians, not the courts, who seek to corrupt the system.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) faced criticism for failing to upload results from all polling units to its Results Viewing Portal (IREV) on election day. Despite opposition protests, INEC declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress the President‑elect in the early hours of Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Tinubu received about 8.8 million votes, ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar (6.9 million) and Obi himself (6.1 million).
Dissatisfied with the results, the Labour Party approached the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal for permission to inspect the election materials used by INEC, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the primary technology deployed to ensure a free and fair process. INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu, meeting with Labour Party lawyers on Monday, assured them that the commission had nothing to hide and pledged to provide all requested documents to aid the suit.
When asked whether his trust in INEC had been restored by the chairman’s pledge, Obi replied, “They are now dealing with the lawyers. I don’t go to INEC; I’m not part of it. If the lawyers are satisfied, it is no longer about my personal trust in INEC—there is now a relationship between the two of us. So, if our lawyers trust them, I’m fine with that.”
Obi reiterated his confidence in the judiciary, recalling his own legal battles: “I have stayed in court for three years when people said it was impossible to become a governor through the courts, and I became the first to reclaim a stolen mandate. I was impeached, and the court reinstated me. I even sought interpretation, arguing that my tenure was not complete, despite others saying it was impossible because someone else had been elected. Having gone through several courts, I have never doubted them. I believe Nigeria has one of the best judiciaries globally; it is we, the politicians, with our transactional nature, who try to corrupt it. I hope this case can help reverse that trend. Africans are surprised that the giant of Africa can no longer deliver, while Ghana will soon hold elections without BVAS and it will go smoothly. I do not refer to how others were treated; regardless of recent judgments, I am confident the judiciary knows the country is collapsing and must help build a better future for their children.”
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