Senator representing Enugu East, Chimaroke Nnamani has said that the petition against President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu by Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) lacks credibility hence dead on arrival.
Recall on March 21, the Labour Party presidential candidate filed a petition at the tribunal challenging the victory of Tinubu in the presidential election conducted on February 25, 2023.
The LP candidate claimed in the legal suit that Tinubu was not qualified to run for office and requested that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hold a new election in which Tinubu would not participate.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Nnamani urged Obi and his supporters to accept Tinubu as Nigeria’s president-elect.
“Obi knows he has neither spread nor national appeal to win the presidential election, what Obi is doing with the petition is trying to demarket Tinubu,” Nnamani said.
“His petition is dead on arrival, he does not have the spread or national appeal. His appeal to non-electoral matters is to demarket the president-elect and damage his reputation.
“He does not have near spread and national appeal, the petition is ego-driven and a joke carried too far.
“His attempt to highlight on non-electoral issues is trying to embarrass the president-elect.”
The Senator said Obi needs to give room for negotiation on behalf of the Igbos for a stake at the national level.
“We must join the mainstream and participate in the making of a new Nigeria,” Nnamani said.
“We are not going anywhere and ready to bargain for our own share. It is a common knowledge that others are doing the same.”
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the candidate of Nigeria’s ruling party, APC, as the winner of Saturday, February 25 presidential election.
Mr Tinubu defeated 17 other candidates who took part in the poll. He received a total of 8,794,726 votes, the highest of all the candidates, meeting the first constitutional requirement to be declared the winner.
He also got over 25 per cent of the votes cast in 30 states, more than the 24 states constitutionally required.