‘ My Trust in INEC Evaporated, I’m Confident in the Judiciary’

By Nifemi Adefemi

(With Agency reports)


Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has reiterated confidence in the judiciary to adjudicate in the controversial presidential election, despite the controversy surrounding some of the rulings in recent times. He however said his trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has evaporated.
Obi, who spoke as a guest on Channels Television yesterday , said his confidence was drawn from the fact that the Justices were Nigerians and were aware of how bad the situation had been in the country, adding that, only the truth and justice would save the country.

“The Justices desire a better Nigeria for themselves and their children and that can only come through doing the right thing and telling the people the truth of any situation. For me, I have no cause to doubt the courts; it’s we, the politicians that are bent on corrupting every aspect of our national life,” he said.

On what his reaction would be if the nation decided to go on with the situation, Obi said he would be shocked if the country went on with the rascality of criminality.

The former Anambra State governor said it was disheartening that the giant of Africa could not deliver a simple election, when small nations like Ghana could deliver with a small error margin and big nations like India also delivered with less than a five per cent error margin.

Obi reiterated his earlier position that what the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared was false, and that he was challenging the process and the declaration.

“My trust in INEC has evaporated with what they did on February 25, setting out a rule for the election and abandoning it in the middle of the game,” he said, stressing that a majority of Nigerians had declared a vote of no confidence on INEC, because everybody saw that they promised so much and could not deliver even the minimum.

The LP standard bearer likened what INEC did on February 25 to a restaurant promising a sumptuous meal, serving the a la carte but failing to bring the main meal.
Directly speaking to his supporters ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial and state Assembly elections, Obi said they should vote for Labour Party candidates in their states, and where there is no candidate they should vote with a new Nigeria in mind, looking out for competence, character, capacity, and capabilities.