The leader of Nigeria's Labour Party, Peter Obi, has announced his intention to challenge the result of the country's presidential election in court. The official results declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner, with 37% of the vote, followed by Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) with 29%, and Obi in third place with 25%. Obi has claimed that he was robbed of victory and called for his supporters not to lose hope. He has promised to explore all legal and peaceful options to reclaim the mandate and prove that he won the election, but he did not provide any evidence to support his claims.
Obi, who is popular among young voters, was projected as the winner of the election by several polls before the vote. Many pundits predicted that the election would be closely contested, and a possible run-off seemed likely for the first time in Nigeria's political history. However, Tinubu passed both criteria required to be declared the winner, with a plurality of the popular vote and at least 25% of the vote in 24 of Nigeria's 36 states and Abuja. Tinubu will be sworn in as the successor to outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29, barring any decision to the contrary from the courts.
Several observer missions criticized the election process after the results were announced, noting that a new portal introduced for transparency and efficiency had done little to improve the process. Barry Andrews, head of the European Union's observer team, said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lacked efficient planning and transparency during critical stages of the electoral process. A coalition of Nigerian civil society groups said the election fell short of its "credibility threshold" and was "marred by very poor organization...and several incidents of violence."
Obi has a history of lengthy litigation in his political career, including a 2006 Supreme Court ruling that declared him the true winner of the Anambra governorship elections held three years previously, unseating current labour minister Chris Ngige of the PDP from office. Obi later secured a court victory establishing that his tenure began when he was sworn into office and not after the election was held, a decision that has become a precedent in Nigeria's political landscape and is the reason why governorship elections on March 11 will be conducted in only 28 states. In 2007, the Supreme Court also reinstated Obi after he was impeached by the state parliament.
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