Obi’s epic judicial battles and tenacity made Anambra the first state in Nigeria to have an off-season governorship election.
About 20 years ago, Mr Obi contested the 19 April, 2003 governorship election in Anambra State on the crest of newly registered All Progressives Grand Alliance . After Chris Ngige of the Peoples Democratic Party was declared winner in the race by the Independent National Electoral Commission , Mr Obi rejected the result and went to court for redress where he recorded a historic success.
He also scored over 25 per cent of the votes cast in 29 states, more than the 24 states constitutionally required. INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, a professor of History who announced the final results in Abuja, said Atiku In its ruling, the appeal court upheld the decision of the lower tribunal that Mr Obi ought to have been declared the winner and sworn in as the validly elected governor of Anambra State on 29 May 2003. The verdict was the product of Mr Obi’s pursuit of his mandate through the judicial process notwithstanding daunting odds.
having just spent barely a year in office after the sack of Mr Ngige by the appeal court. His stance stirred controversies both in Anambra State and nationwide then with some commentators berating him for overstretching his luck while others urged him not to shy away from contesting an election that he was expected to win on merit. But Mr Obi stuck to his gun by steering away from the 2007 governorship polls despite the entreaties for him to contest.
Mr Obi contested again and was re-elected. He served out his second tenure without hindrance on 17 March 2014 when he handed over to his successor, Willie Obiano. “That is using God’s name in vain. That is not what God is saying. God said do not use my name in vain. So, what they are saying is not God’s wish, it is not God’s plan for Nigeria…That’s not what God’s will says. God’s willHe said Nigeria has laws guiding the conduct of elections and it is not the wish of God that they should be violated.
“I’m not challenging their declaration. Or rather, I am not challenging who they declared. I am not challenging whatever the outcome is. I’m challenging the process by which they arrived at their declaration.
Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
ANALYSIS: Tinubu must prioritise Boko Haram crisisViolent extremism has outlived three Nigerian presidencies – will Bola Tinubu be the leader who ends the onslaught?
Read more »
Dino Melaye, Smart Adeyemi, 27 Others Pick Interest Forms For APC, PDP Governorship Primary In Kogi | Sahara ReportersSenator Dino Melaye and Smart Adeyemi, together with 27 other politicians have picked their interest forms for the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressive Congress primary elections ahead of the Kogi State governorship election. The 2023 Kogi State gubernatorial election will take place on 11 November 2023 to elect the Governor of Kogi State, while the incumbent APC Governor, Yahaya Bello, is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term. The primaries for the two parties are scheduled for between 27 March and 17 April 2022.
Read more »
US President, Biden, Other World Leaders Yet To Congratulate Tinubu Two Weeks After ‘Winning’ Presidential Election | Sahara ReportersWorld leaders including the United States President, Joe Biden, have not yet put a call across to President-elect, Bola Tinubu, who was declared of Nigeria’s February 25 presidential election. This is coming as the election was widely allegedly acclaimed to be poorly conducted and rigged in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress. In contrast to Buhari’s election victory in April 2015, Tinubu is yet to receive an official congratulation from world leaders including the US President weeks after being declared a winner.
Read more »
INEC denies refusing aggrieved political parties access to election materialsThe Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has denied the allegation that it has refused to allow aggrieved political parties to inspect
Read more »
Taraba APC suspends gov candidate days to electionThe crisis in the Taraba State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has taken a worse dimension with the suspension of its governorship candidate, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, over alleged anti-party activities about one week to the election.
Read more »
EDITORIAL: The highs and lows of Nigeria's 2023 presidential electionWhile some logistics challenges, malpractices and violence in some locations undermined the election, PREMIUM TIMES believes it is excessive and inaccurate to describe the exercise as totally flawed.
Read more »