Labour Party says Peter Obi resisted pressure to protest against Tinubu’s victory

The Labour Party has disclosed that after President Bola Tinubu was proclaimed the victor by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, defied calls from his Obidient movement to organise a nationwide demonstration.

This information was revealed in a statement released on Monday in Abuja by the LP’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh.

This development comes just one month after Tinubu’s victory in the controversial February 25 election was confirmed by the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal.

Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, who garnered 6,984,520 and 6,101,533 votes respectively, lost to the president by a margin of 8,794,726 votes.

But Ifoh insisted there would have been anarchy in the country had the former Anambra governor given in to the pressure to lead a mass demonstration.

Read Also: Peter Obi fears Nigeria could plunge into ‘lawlessness’

The statement partly read, “The Labour Party was aware of various trending stories in print and video suggesting that its Presidential Candidate Mr. Peter Obi will soon be arrested. The stories are draped with some so-called prophecies calling for prayers on Obi as he would be arrested. Ordinarily, such stories don’t deserve our attention. However, we are concerned when the faux stories flying around are juxtaposed with video clips spliced from pre-election and campaign speeches where Obi had underscored to Nigerian youths the importance of taking back our country.

“On March 1st, 2023 when the INEC announced its charade election result by 4 a.m., Obi supporters across the country and in the Diaspora mounted pressure on him to authorize a mass protest but he declined insisting instead that taking back Nigeria through him will come through due and peaceful process and not via violence.

“The insinuation of late that Obi is orchestrating violence is a figment of the imagination of the authors and giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it. Obi is not a violent man but he believes justice must reign no matter how long it takes.

“We must reiterate here for the record, Obi’s adherence and commitment to the rule of law and avowal of non-violent politics. As a man of faith, the former Anambra state Governor strongly believes that a new Nigeria is POssible following due process and does not need to drag his supporters out in the street to achieve it.”

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