A coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the auspices of the Middle-Belt Pan Nigerian Forum has called on the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to accept the outcome of the 2023 presidential election won by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The group said in a statement by its spokesperson, Danladi Ceceko, that the 2023 election was one of the most transparent elections in the country and reflects the will of Nigerians. It added that the verdict of the Supreme Court further validates the outcome of the polls.

The group spoke against the backdrop of the recent statement by Obi in which he compared the Nigerian electoral process to that of South Africa and described the 2023 polls as a show of shame.

However, Ceceko urged Obi to stop discrediting institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) simply because he lost in the 2023 elections.

The group added that Obi himself had benefited from the same institution he is discrediting now when he was restored as the Anambra State Governor.

“It is evident for all to see that the 2023 general elections, especially the presidential poll, were among the freest and most transparent in our history,” Ceceko said.

“The outcome, upheld by the Supreme Court, is a true representation of the will of Nigerians, and it is time for all participants to accept the results and move forward. 

“It is quite unfortunate that Mr. Peter Obi would discredit our institutions like INEC and the Supreme Court, which validated the credible elections conducted by INEC.”

Ceceko noted that if INEC was as problematic as some politicians have claimed, it raises the question of why there are calls from various quarters for the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) to be disbanded and for INEC to conduct local government elections instead.

“It is evident that the political elite who frequently malign the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are often the same ones who oversee the worst elections in the country through the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs)”.

The coalition also challenged the LP candidate to desist from biased comparison as the South African elections were not without their own challenges and technical glitches.

“We really need Mr. Peter Obi to do his due diligence and research before comparing INEC to other countries’ electoral bodies.

“The South African election also experienced technical glitches, which were well-documented.”

“It is hypocritical of Mr. Peter Obi to claim that the election which brought Governor Alex Otti of Abia was credible and transparent, while asserting that the election he lost was marred by irregularities.

It is worth noting that both elections were conducted by the same INEC under the leadership of Prof. Mahmud Yakubu.

“Furthermore, it is important to remind Mr. Peter Obi that he is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, beneficiaries of the very institutions he is currently maligning. It was the same Supreme Court that restored his allegedly stolen mandate in 2003.

Additionally, it was the same INEC that conducted the election that secured his second term victory in Anambra.”

The coalition argued that technical glitches during electoral processes are not peculiar to Nigeria and should, therefore, not be a basis to invalidate the entire process.

“Because there was a technical glitch on the portal of the South African commission, does that invalidate the outcome of the election in which the ruling ANC won?” the spokesperson questioned. “I think it is about time we start respecting our institutions and join hands with other Nigerians to make them work and even better,” the statement added.