THE Presidency, today, slammed the Labour Party’s (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying that the businessman benefited from judicial pronouncements when he reclaimed his mandate as governor of Anambra State in 2007, but he now condemns the same when the Supreme Court rules in favor of President Bola Tinubu on October 26, 2023.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made this known in a statement issued hours after Obi criticized the Supreme Courts decision that upheld Tinubu’s electoral victory.
“We are at a loss as to how the copy-cat Obi and his faction of Labour Party convinced themselves they won an election in which they came a distant third,” Onanuga said.
“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.”
Onanuga stated that Obi and his party should be aware that the Supreme Court, like any other court, does not make decisions based on public opinion or mob sentiments. “Judicial pronouncements are based on evidence, precedents and the rule of law”.
The presidential adviser went on to say that the former governor of Anambra should stop criticizing Tinubu and instead congratulate him.
“Having admitted that the Supreme Court ruling brought an end to litigation and any challenge to the bona-fide of President Bola Ahmed 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 pledge his support, in the spirit of statesmanship.”
The Presidency also welcomed Obi and his party to play the role of the opposition and start preparing for another shot at the presidency in 2027.
“We hope by then he would campaign on issues and not whip up religious and ethnic sentiments as he did in the last campaign.”
