Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress, has admitted he has no evidence to prove his claim that he won the 2023 presidential election, yet insists he remains convinced he was the true winner. In a recent interview with BBC Africa, Obi was asked whether he had evidence to substantiate his claim. He replied, There is no evidence. Everything is not based on evidence. He immediately reaffirmed his position, saying, I won the election and that is where I will end. I don't like going back to the past. I won the election. Well, there is no evidence but I won the election. When asked about his repeated claims that the 2023 election was rigged despite his legal challenge being dismissed by the courts, Obi said, I don't like going back to the past. I sustain what I said. Obi contested the February 25, 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party and finished third according to results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission. INEC declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress the winner with 8,794,726 votes, followed by Peoples Democratic Party candidate Atiku Abubakar with 6,984,520 votes. Obi polled 6,101,533 votes. Obi and the Labour Party challenged the result before the Presidential Election Petitions Court, alleging electoral irregularities and non-compliance with electoral laws. The five-member tribunal dismissed the petition on September 6, 2023, and affirmed Tinubu's election. Obi subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, but the apex court dismissed his appeal on October 26, 2023, and affirmed the lower court's decision upholding Tinubu's election. A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court ruled that Obi's appeal lacked merit and upheld the decision of the Presidential Election Petitions Court. Despite the judicial outcome, Obi has continued to maintain that the 2023 election was not a true reflection of the wishes of voters. The former governor is now preparing for another presidential contest in 2027, this time as the candidate of the NDC.
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