The Labour Party on Friday said its candidate, Peter Obi won the February 25, 2023, presidential poll. The party insisted that its mandate was “stolen” saying President Muhammadu Buhari was aware of it. The Labour Party was responding to Buhari’s comments that the opposition parties lost the election because they were relying on foreign support. The candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In a statement by the acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the Labour Party said is very worried and disturbed with the statement from the office of the President. “We want to point it out clearly to President Muhammadu Buhari that his position on the outcome of the said election was false, untrue, and it is not a true reflection of what played out during the election.
“There are several reasons why opposition political parties lost the 2023 election; the first is that the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) snubbed the electoral act wherein it failed to upload the result from the polling unit in real time as promised and in disregard to the laws guiding the election. The INEC by doing so created room for that election to be rigged.
“Again, the current APC president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu didn’t win the election, because the said election, particularly, the presidential election was manipulated and rigged beyond comprehension. Let me remind Mr. President of the magnitude of violence, ballot snuffing, snatching and manipulations of results from the collation centres using security agencies, which included police, army amongst others as well as thugs to manipulate elections in favour of the ruling party.
“The 2023 general election is the worst election the country has ever had since the current republic; since 1999 to date. The 2023 general election is the worst ever as reported by virtually all the international observers and communities. In fact, the election took Nigeria back to the days of the First and Second Republics where political thugs, where violence and thuggery characterised politics and election.
“So Mr. President is completely wrong. I believe that he was ill advised. It was erroneous for him to say that opposition parties lost elections because of overconfidence. In fact, the Labour Party won the election but it was brazenly stolen by APC. Mr. President is aware of the fact that APC did not win the election and that it was stolen.”
The Nation
