Politics
2023 Presidential Poll: Presidency, APC attack Obi over stance on S-Court verdict
ABUJA — Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the last general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, the Presidency, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, disagreed on the Supreme Court ruling which upheld the September 6 verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, and affirmed President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 poll.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Obi said Nigeria’s democracy was the victim of the October 26 Supreme Court judgment, lamenting that the court ignored evidence of identity theft and rigging against Tinubu, vowing that opposition to bad policies has started, he said: “This is just the beginning of the struggle.”
In a quick counter, the Presidency asked the former Anambra State governor, who got to power in Anambra via the apex court, to look for a better vocation and stop casting aspersions on the Judiciary, adding that courts don’t base their rulings on public opinion.
Also, the APC faulted what it called Obi’s ‘haughty sense of entitlement’, saying cases are won on evidence and law
I’ll continue to speak forthrightly
Obi said as a person who had previously benefited from the rulings of the Supreme Court on electoral matters, he would continue to speak forthrightly.
His words: “As students, young lads at CKC, Onitsha, we were taught values and admonished to always ‘choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong.’
“Setting legal issues aside, the Supreme Court exhibited a disturbing aversion to public opinion just as it abandoned its responsibility as a court of law and policy.
“It is, therefore, with great dismay that I observe that the court’s decision contradicts the overwhelming evidence of election rigging, false claim of a technical glitch, substantial non-compliance with rules set by INEC itself as well as matters of perjury, identity theft, and forgery that have been brought to light in the course of this election matter. These were hefty allegations that should not be treated with levity.
Moral burden
“More appalling, the Supreme Court judgment wilfully condoned breaches of the Constitution relative to established qualifications and parameters for candidates in presidential elections.
“With this counter-intuitive judgment, the Supreme Court has transferred a heavy moral burden from the courtrooms to our national conscience. Our young democracy is ultimately the main victim and casualty of the courtroom drama.
“To that extent, it is a show of unreasonable force against the very Nigerian people from whom the power of the Constitution derives. This Supreme Court ruling may represent the state of the law in 2023 but not the present demand for substantive justice.
“The judgment mixed principles and precepts. Indeed, the rationale and premise of the Supreme Court judgment have become clearer in the light of the deep revealing and troubling valedictory remarks by Hon. Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad, (JSC) on Friday 27th October 2023.
“In disagreeing very strongly with the ruling of both the Presidential Election Petitions Court, PEPC, and the Supreme Court on the outcome of the 25th February 2023 Presidential election as declared by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as democrats who believe in the rule of law, we recognize that the Supreme Court is the end stage of the quest for legal closure to the matter.
“As a party and as candidates, Datti and I have now exhausted all legal and constitutional remedies available to us.”
This is just the beginning of our struggle
“However, this end is only another beginning in our quest for the vindication of the hope of the common man for a better country.
“After all, sovereignty belongs to the people! If only for historical purposes, it behoves us to place our disagreement with and deep reservations about this judgment on public record.
“We have long been aware of how weak national institutions have negatively affected our democracy. This year 2023 has been quite remarkable and revealing. INEC has displayed incompetence in the conduct of its statutory duty.
“The judiciary has largely acted in defiance of constitutional tenets, precedents, and established ground rules. Political expediency has preceded judicial responsibility.
“A mechanical application of technicalities has superseded the pursuit of justice and fairness. Both INEC and the Supreme Court as the referees, respectively shifted the goalposts in the middle of the game.
“Where the value and import of the recent Supreme Court ruling ends is where our commitment to a New Nigeria begins. Our mission and mandate remain unchanged.
“From the very onset, our mission has been more about enthroning a new Nigeria. It is a new nation where things work, where the country is led from its present waste and consumption orientation to a production-driven economy.”
The future of the struggle
Obi further said: “Going forward, we in the Labour Party and the Obidient Movement are now effectively in opposition. We are glad that the nation has heard us loud and clear.
“We shall now expand the confines of our message of hope to the rest of the country. We shall meet the people in the places where they feel pain and answer their needs for hope.
“As stakeholders and elected Labour Party officials, we shall remain loyal to our manifesto. We will continue to canvass for good governance and focus on issues that promote national interest, unity, and cohesion.
Our opposition to bad policies starts now
“We will offer the checks and balances required in a functional democracy and vie robustly in forthcoming elections to elect those who share our vision of a new Nigeria.
“Given our present national circumstances, there is a compelling need for a strong political opposition.
We shall, therefore, remain in opposition, especially because of the policies and the governance modalities that we in the Labour Party campaigned for, especially reducing the cost of governance, moving the nation from consumption to production, reducing inflation, ending insecurity, promoting the rule of law, guaranteeing the responsibility to protect, and stabilizing the Nigerian currency; are clearly not the priorities of the present administration or is it interested in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.”
No court gives judgment based on public opinion – Presidency
Responding, the Presidency told Obi that no court in the country gives judgment based on public opinion.
It also said that having admitted that the Supreme Court ruling brought an end to litigation and any challenge to the victory of President Tinubu, Obi should have congratulated the President and pledged his support, in the spirit of statesmanship.
The Presidency, in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, said it welcomed the pledge by Obi and his party to play the role of opposition and urged him to start preparing for another shot at the presidency in 2027.
The statement, titled “Peter Obi should find better vocation instead of casting aspersions on the judiciary,’’ read: “Labour Party Presidential candidate in the last election, Mr. Peter Obi, addressed a press conference, just like Atiku Abubakar, where he cast aspersions on the Supreme Court and the Independent National Electoral Commission for not declaring him the winner of the February 25, 2023 election.
“We are at a loss as to how the copy-cat Obi and his faction of the Labour Party convinced themselves they won an election in which they came a distant third.
“The grand delusion that made Mr. Obi believe he could have won a national election where he ran the most hateful, divisive and polarising campaign that pitched Christians against Muslims and one ethnic group against the other in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society like Nigeria should be a matter for deeper examination.
“At the press conference where he tried, in vain, to gaslight Nigerians with false claims and innuendos, Mr. Obi contradicted himself. Here was a beneficiary of judicial pronouncements in the past now castigating the same court because its judgment did not go his way.
“Mr. Obi claimed the Supreme Court justices didn’t consider public opinion in delivering what has been applauded as a most profound judgment in an election appeal where the Labour Party candidate presented the most watery and unreasonable petition before any court in the history of electoral cases in Nigeria.
False allegation
“He made false allegations of rigging and other electoral malpractices yet could not produce any evidence to back up his claims at both the court of first instance and at the apex court.
“In a failed effort to mobilise and retain the support of his supporters, Obi gave them a forlorn hope that he won the election and would prove it before the courts.
‘’Throughout the trial, his lawyers didn’t present any alternative results different from the results INEC uploaded on the IReV portal and the ones signed by all party agents from the 176,000 polling units.
“We wonder how the Labour Party candidate expected the courts to do justice on the basis of rumours, lies and false narratives by sponsored partisans and fanatical members of his Obidient Movement.
“We expected the Labour Party candidate to know that the Supreme Court or any other court does not give judgment based on public opinion and mob sentiments. Judicial pronouncements are based on evidence, precedents and the rule of law.
Congratulates Tinubu
“Having admitted that the Supreme Court ruling brought an end to litigation and any challenge to the bonafide of President Bola Tinubu as the validly elected leader of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Obi should have congratulated President Tinubu for his victory and pledged his support, in the spirit of statesmanship.
“But instead, he brought up extraneous matters that he thought the apex court should have considered to declare him the winner. In our view, the drowning Obi, just like Atiku, was merely attempting to hold on to a straw in raking up new allegations, which exist only in his imagination and that of his hordes of supporters.
“Our admonition to Mr. Peter Obi is to find another worthwhile vocation to engage his time henceforth, having been rejected by the majority of Nigerians who didn’t consider him qualified to lead our country.
“Nigerians rejected Peter Obi and his demagoguery at the poll because he posed present and future danger to the peace, progress and stability of our country.”
Cases are won on evidence, law, APC mocks Obi
On its part, the APC, in a statement by its spokesman, Felix Morka, said everything in Nigeria could not be all about Obi who he said had been a beneficiary of the courts in the past.
The statement read: “In his belated and grouchy reaction to the judgment of the Supreme Court dismissing his appeal against the electoral victory of President Tinubu, Obi stated that ‘the Supreme Court exhibited a disturbing aversion to public opinion just as it abandoned its responsibility as a court of law and policy.’
“At his press conference earlier today, November 6, 2023, Obi, again blamed our democratic institutions, particularly the courts, for not awarding him victory — not because he won the election, not because he proved his case in court as required by law but because he is Peter Obi. That haughty sense of entitlement seems to pervade his vitriolic attack on our institutions.
By Petrus Obi, London
London — The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyi Odii, has intensified his criticism of the administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru, insisting that the people of the state deserve a different approach to governance.
Odii, who spoke with EverydayNewsngr.net in London, said what he described as the “fire brigade approach” of the Nwifuru administration was not the kind of governance Ebonyi needs.
According to him, the state requires a government with a clear vision, long-term planning and the capacity to deliver meaningful development to its people.
“The fire brigade approach of the Nwifuru government is not what the state needs,” Odii said.
He added: “I am coming to bring a new lease of life to my people.”
Odii’s comments come amid renewed political debate in Ebonyi State following the recent removal of the state Commissioner for Works. The development has attracted attention from opposition circles, with critics using it to question aspects of the administration’s handling of governance and infrastructure.
The PDP chieftain said the people of Ebonyi should expect more than what he described as reactive governance, arguing that development should be driven by a coherent programme capable of producing lasting results.
He maintained that his political ambition was motivated by a desire to provide what he described as purposeful leadership and improve the welfare of residents across the state.
“We deserve better government in Ebonyi State,” Odii said, stressing that his vision was centred on giving the people renewed confidence in government and creating opportunities for them to prosper.
As political activities ahead of the next governorship election continue to gather momentum, governance, infrastructure, accountability and the delivery of public services are expected to feature prominently in the emerging contest.
Odii’s intervention in London is likely to add further momentum to the political conversation, particularly as opposition figures seek to distinguish their vision for Ebonyi from that of the incumbent administration.
STATEMENT BY CHIEF EMMANUEL CHIDI IGWE,
SPOKESPERSON TO CHIEF DR. IFEANYI CHUKWUMA ODII
The 2027 governorship election in Ebonyi State is not a family affair, nor is it a matter to be decided by one individual or political godfather. It is a democratic contest, and Ebonyians will ultimately decide who becomes their governor through the ballot box.
No aspirant should be expected to step down simply because another politician believes he should. Every qualified candidate has the right to contest, present his programme and seek the mandate of the people.
Let me make this clear: since Senator Dave Umahi did not bring Chief Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii into the governorship race, he cannot now claim the authority to ask him to step down. Chief Odii has his own political identity, supporters, convictions and legitimate right to seek the mandate of Ebonyians.
The decision to contest or withdraw belongs to the candidate, while the ultimate decision on who governs Ebonyi State belongs to the people.
The 2027 election should therefore be about issues, programmes, records, accountability and the future of Ebonyi—not political arrangements made by individuals behind closed doors.
Chief Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii is prepared to place his vision and programme before Ebonyians and subject them to public scrutiny. Those seeking to retain power should equally be prepared to defend their records before the electorate.
Ebonyi 2027 is not a family arrangement. It is a contest for the confidence of the people. The people of Ebonyi State—not individuals—will have the final say.
Chief Emmanuel Chidi Igwe
Spokesperson to Chief Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii
Politics
BREAKING: SaharaReporters Report on Arrest of Enugu Traditional Ruler, Ex-Lawmaker Is False and Misleading
The recent publication by SaharaReporters alleging that prominent Enugu traditional ruler, Igwe Obiora Igwesi, his brother and former federal lawmaker, Hon. Uchenna Sunday A. Igwesi (USA Igwesi), and eight others were arrested over an alleged attack on an NDC ward meeting in Obuoffia, Nkanu West Local Government Area, is false and deeply misleading.
The report is being described as a deliberate attempt to damage the reputation of respected leaders in Enugu State and create unnecessary political tension ahead of the 2027 elections.
Contrary to the claims contained in the publication, there was no arrest ordered by the Inspector-General of Police against Igwe Obiora Igwesi, Hon. USA Igwesi, or the other individuals named in connection with any alleged attack on an NDC meeting. There was also no operation by detectives from Zone 13 Command, Ukpo, Dunukofia, Anambra State, as alleged in the report.
Similarly, the purported petition dated September 15, 2026, and the allegations of conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms, attempted murder, assault, threatening violence and stealing are strongly disputed and described as fabricated claims intended to create a damaging narrative around the individuals concerned.
The broader allegation that the 17 Local Government Areas of Enugu State have experienced coordinated armed attacks allegedly sponsored by Local Government Chairmen to silence the opposition is equally rejected as unfounded.
Attempts to associate Igwe Obiora Igwesi and Hon. USA Igwesi with criminal activity or political violence are viewed as an unacceptable effort to tarnish the image of individuals who have served their communities and contributed to the development of Enugu State.
The public, particularly the people of Enugu State, is therefore urged to exercise caution and verify the facts independently before accepting or circulating the allegations contained in the SaharaReporters publication.
Enugu State remains focused on peace, stability and development. Political disagreements should not be allowed to degenerate into the circulation of unverified allegations capable of inflaming tensions or damaging the reputations of individuals.
The position being maintained by the affected parties is clear: there was no arrest of the named individuals in connection with the alleged incident, no evidence has been presented establishing that any Local Government Chairman sponsored an attack, and the allegations contained in the publication are disputed in their entirety.
The public is encouraged to await verifiable facts from the appropriate authorities rather than rely on claims that have not been independently substantiated.
Fresh legal questions emerge over Chijioke Ugwu’s membership registration after Supreme Court restores party-register provisions
By Our Correspondent
Fresh legal questions have emerged over the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2027 governorship ticket in Enugu State following the Supreme Court’s restoration of key provisions of the Electoral Act dealing with political party membership registers and the conduct of primaries.
The questions centre on Chief Chijioke Peter Ugwu, who was recently announced by the PDP governorship candidate, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, as his running mate.
Nnaji announced Ugwu’s selection on September 24, shortly after the Supreme Court delivered its landmark judgment restoring Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026. Ugwu’s selection was subsequently reported by several Nigerian media outlets.
But documents and information available to this newspaper raise a question that could potentially become significant if the PDP ticket is challenged in court.
The PDP governorship primary in Enugu State was conducted on May 25, 2026.
However, Ugwu is understood to have registered as a PDP member on May 31, 2026 — six days after the governorship primary.
This means that if the May 31 registration date is accurately reflected in the party’s official records, his name could not have appeared in the PDP membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the May 25 governorship primary.
That immediately raises the question:
Can a person who was not a member of the party on the date of its governorship primary subsequently be selected as the deputy governorship candidate without the Supreme Court’s restored membership-register provisions affecting the ticket?
What the Supreme Court restored
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment delivered on September 24, set aside the Court of Appeal’s earlier decision which had declared the disputed provisions of the Electoral Act unconstitutional.
The apex court upheld the validity of Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2), following an appeal by INEC against the Court of Appeal judgment in the case involving the Zenith Labour Party.
Section 77(5) provides that only persons whose names are contained in a political party’s membership register submitted to INEC at least 21 days before a primary, congress or convention may participate in the exercise.
Section 77(6) requires political parties to use the membership register submitted to INEC for their primaries, congresses and conventions.
Section 77(7) deals with the consequence of failure by a party to submit its membership register within the prescribed period.
These provisions are now back in force following the Supreme Court judgment. Legal opinions suggest that the law’s insistence on the membership register submitted to INEC is relevant to the validity of the party’s eventual nomination process, depending on how the PDP formally nominated and submitted its governorship and deputy governorship candidates.
The precise documents will therefore be crucial.
Among the questions likely to arise are:
What date did the PDP submit its membership register to INEC?
Was Ugwu’s name contained in that register?
When exactly did Ugwu become a registered PDP member?
Was he a PDP member before the register was submitted to INEC?
How did the PDP formally nominate him as running mate?
Was the nomination made through a procedure recognised by the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution?
The controversy is coming at a sensitive time for the PDP, which has only recently unveiled Ugwu as Nnaji’s running mate. Ugwu, from Nguru in Nsukka Local Government Area, is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and community leader who runs businesses in logistics, contracting, consultancy and hospitality.
However, the governorship candidate and the deputy governorship candidate constitute a single electoral ticket. Therefore, any legal or constitutional issue affecting the eligibility of the deputy governorship candidate automatically has implications for the validity of the joint ticket, including the governorship candidate.
Another legal opinion available to this newspaper insists that “the gubernatorial ticket is a joint one. If the name of a deputy governor is not on the digital register, it invalidates the entire process.”
In the 2019 Bayelsa governorship election, APC’s David Lyon was declared winner. His running mate was Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo.
The Supreme Court later disqualified Degi-Eremienyo over the documents he submitted to INEC. The crucial point was that the Supreme Court held that his disqualification affected the joint ticket he shared with David Lyon. Consequently, the court ordered INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Lyon and his deputy.
This happened one day before Lyon was due to be sworn in as governor. The certificate was subsequently issued to Douye Diri of the PDP, who had the next-highest lawful votes and the required geographical spread.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will commence nationwide on October 9.
The development has prompted calls for eligible voters to visit the INEC office in their respective Local Government Areas to collect their PVCs and ensure they are prepared to participate in the electoral process.
Meanwhile, supporters of Hon. Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu, Omeiheukwu Akpugoeze, have urged constituents in the Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency to support his bid for a second term in the Federal House of Representatives.
The supporters made the appeal while encouraging eligible residents to collect their PVCs and exercise their franchise in the forthcoming election.
Voters are advised to follow official INEC guidelines and verify the applicable collection procedures and dates before visiting their designated collection centres.
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