Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, made the assertion during a news conference hours after the Supreme Court confirmed President Bola Tinubu’s victory on Thursday, October 26, 2023.
Earlier in the day, a seven-member Supreme Court panel led by Justice Okon Inyang Okoro decided on the opposition’s petitions against Tinubu, alleging election fraud, violation of electoral rules, certificate forgery, and ineligibility.
The Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi, as well as Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the September 6 decision of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).
However, the apex court’s ruling corroborated the lower court’s verdict and Atiku and Obi’s appeals were dismissed for lacking merit.
For his part, Abure said his party was disappointed by the outcome of the case but has decided to press on and remain optimistic about what the future holds for the nation.
He also noted that events that had played out since the February 25 presidential election till now showed that the nation was sliding towards dictatorship.
He said, “Having conclusively exercised our fundamental rights as gifted to us by the laws of the land, we have no other choice but to move on. We may be disappointed and dismayed by the outcome of the exercise but we have chosen to trudge on and to remain optimistic of what the future holds for the nation.
“We weep for our institutions that cannot rise to the occasion and courageously defend democracy and the voices of our people.
“However, there are great lessons to be learnt. What transpired in Nigeria since the February 25 presidential election is a clear testament that our institutions are not working and that we may be sliding towards dictatorship. It is very clear that the executive has hijacked both the judiciary and the legislature. This is so unfortunate for our democracy and it is even more for the people of Nigeria.
“All what our forebearers taught us has been destroyed within a short space of time because of the unbridled ambition of a few. The founding fathers fought with their lives to achieve independence for the country.
“People lost their lives for the struggle to keep our democracy and all these years people have been struggling to achieve electoral and constitutional reforms. Regrettably, all of these efforts and struggles have been destroyed today.”
The National Chairman also alleged that some key members of the Labour Party, including himself and Obi, have been marked for vilification by the federal government in order to suppress the party’s drive for a new Nigeria.
Abure, therefore, appealed to the international community to rise to the occasion to defend democracy in Nigeria.
“Your voices were loud and clear in condemnation of the outcome of the presidential election. As we approach the next stage of our democratic journey, we call on you to stand by the millions of Nigerians who are already pushed beyond their limits into unnecessary hardship and penury.
He also urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the country, adding that “we are hopeful that we will get to our destination someday because where there is a will, certainly, there will be a way. A new Nigeria is still possible,” he added.
