Electoral materials: Peter Obi reveals next action over INEC’s refusal to obey court order

By Emmanuel 27 March 2023

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, has revealed the next course of action the party and its supporters will take if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) denies them access to inspect the sensitive materials used in the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25, 2023.

Obi screamed out over INEC’s apparent failure to abide by the Supreme Court’s directive to permit the party to examine the election’s materials.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared the winner of the election by INEC, who noted that the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate had received 8,794,726 votes overall to defeat Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Liberation Party, who received 6,984, 520 and 6,794,520 votes, respectively, on behalf of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Obi, however, has filed a lawsuit to contest the verdict and the election umpire’s results.

On Monday, Obi said during an appearance on Arise TV that INEC must abide with court orders and permit the LP to inspect the materials.

“The court upheld the decision, but INEC disobeyed. We’ll take any required legal action on my behalf. Whatever we do will be in the best interest of the nation. Let them to let us in.

“They have announced a winner, and we need access to the procedure. We’ll demonstrate outside the INEC headquarters and return to court because we have a problem that we cannot even bring up, he said.

“INEC is a legally recognized institution, but they disobey the law. How do we begin to create a nation? The rule of law is the most essential component of a nation.