Obi encourages US to let court determine Nigeria’s president

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate for president in the recently held general election, has criticized the US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken’s call to President-elect Bola Tinubu, saying that he should let the court decide who is the legitimate leader of Nigeria.

Obi responded to the Friday conversation between Tinubu and Blinken in a series of tweets on his verified Twitter account.

Blinken promised tighter ties between the US and Nigeria during a 20-minute phone call to Tinubu on Tuesday, according to The PUNCH.

However, the call sparked responses from the opposing sides. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar called the exchange between Blinken and Tinubu “demoralizing.”

“I can’t believe Secretary Antony Blinken called Tinubu; this is in direct opposition to the US’s position on Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, which has been publicly stated by the US.

“Considering that America, the center of democracy, is well informed about the rigged election of February 25, this is incomprehensible. Giving the widely acknowledged fraudulent election in Nigeria legitimacy could demoralize citizens who have staked their lives on democracy and the integrity of the voting process,” Atiku wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday.

Obi urged the US to hold off on legitimizing any disputing party until the full conclusion of the ongoing legal proceedings.

On the basis of the call made by US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to APC presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 16, 2023, he claimed, “There is still a lack of clarity.

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Therefore, it is crucial that a shining example of democracy like the United States refrain from reacting to political developments in Nigeria in a way that even remotely suggests taking a side.

“The relevant courts of law can only make the ultimate determination of the true winner of the election,” he continued.

“The rule of law is the most fundamental tenet and core value of democracy.

“These values, which are important to the American people, are the cornerstones of Nigeria’s democracy. The U.S.-Nigeria relationship should be governed by the fundamental principles of democracy without running the risk of meddling in Nigeria’s internal affairs.

Obi wrote that Nigerians expected the US to respond to their affairs “above all on the basis of mutual respect, shared ideals, aspirations and interests which ought to transcend the considerations of any individual.”

The former governor of Anambra continued, “The true friends and partners of Nigeria cannot overlook the willful manipulation and falsification of the will of Nigerians as freely expressed during the February 25 elections.”

Additionally, he added, “the issues under judicial dispute imply grave violations of the Nigerian Constitution and the Nigerian Electoral Law.”