Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has taken to his X handle to denounce the recent Rivers State local government election, describing it as a gross travesty of democratic principles.
Obi criticized the conduct of the election as “rascality taken too far,” highlighting the glaring illegitimacy of a Sole Administrator who himself was illegally appointed overseeing an election meant to empower the people. “This is not democracy; it is the outright desecration of its very foundation,” he said.
He emphasized that such actions are unconstitutional, legally unsound, and morally indefensible. According to Obi, these moves dangerously undermine the rule of law, sending the wrong message that powerholders can discard legality at will. He underscored a fundamental truth: illegality can never confer legitimacy. “Any structure built on lawlessness endangers both the state and its citizens,” Obi warned.
Obi urged Nigeria to reject this perilous course. “We cannot claim to uphold democracy while silencing the people’s will especially at the grassroots level, where democracy truly matters,” he stated.
Calling for integrity in governance, Obi stressed the need to protect the sanctity of the ballot and the people’s right to freely choose their leaders. He insisted that leadership must emanate from the people’s mandate, not from manipulative contrivances that undermine democratic values.
Only by restoring this sacred trust between leaders and citizens, he said, can meaningful governance be achieved. Ending his statement with hope, Obi declared, “A New Nigeria is POssible.”
