The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed his disappointment with the Supreme Court judgment that upheld the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25 presidential election. Obi said the judgment sacrificed justice for political expediency and dashed the hopes of millions of Nigerians who voted for change.
Obi, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, said he and his party had exhausted all legal means to challenge the election results and were now ready to take their message of a new Nigeria to the grassroots. He hinted that he would contest the 2027 presidential election, saying he was not deterred by the setback.
He also proposed a constitutional amendment to introduce a single five-year term for the presidency, with a 30-year rotation system among the six geo-political zones. He said this was part of his campaign manifesto and that he would have pushed for it if he had won the election.
“We campaigned on the issue of restructuring and reform and that would have included an amendment to make this Constitution a workable and functional one that would be productive for Nigerians. Included in that would have been the issue of single tenure. I would go for a five-year tenure, which would go for 30 years rotational presidency across the six geo-political regions.”
He also suggested a quasi-system that would allow the president or the prime minister to be part of the legislature and answer questions from the public directly, instead of using surrogates.
However, the Presidency dismissed Obi’s criticism of the judgment, saying the Supreme Court does not base its decisions on public opinion. The Presidency also said Obi should have congratulated President Tinubu and pledged his support, instead of lamenting over the outcome of the election.
The Presidency, in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, said it welcomed Obi’s and his party’s pledge to play the role of the opposition and urged him to start preparing for another shot at the presidency in 2027.
