As Nigerians wait for the court’s ruling on Peter Obi, a Nigerian Presidential Candidate of the Labor Party’s petition seeking to challenge Bola Tinubu’s victory in the 25 February presidential race, Aljazeera news reports have noted that the Nigeria’s supreme court has never overturned an election like their Kenya and Malawi counterparts.
Obi who finished third filed a petition seeking to challenge Bola Tinubu’s victory citing widespread electoral malpractice, voter intimidation, and violence.
According to Aljazeera, observers condemned the conduct of the election, including the European Union mission and a joint mission of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute.
“The Situation Room’s observation and analysis of the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections indicates that it fell short of the credibility threshold it set out as the basis for evaluating the elections,” read a statement from a local activist coalition, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room.
However, Tinubu has called on his political opponents to let go of their grievances and a “process of healing”. His appeal has been dismissed by the opposition.
While they wait for the cases to be heard in court, young voters say they have little faith in the judiciary’s neutrality in the matter.
Nigeria just like Kenya has a long history of disputed polls, Aljazeera says Seven governorship elections have been overturned since 1999; the first began with a 2003 petition by Obi.
This year’s presidential election saw the lowest voter turnout in Nigeria’s history. Only 23 percent of the 93 million registered voters showed up to cast ballots.
SOURCE: ALJAZEERA