Otti predicts Obi will reclaim mandate, urges supporters to ensure LP’s victory on Saturday

Abia State Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections, Dr. Alex Otti, has predicted his party’s presidential candidate, who was allegedly rigged out of victory, will reclaim his mandate through the courts.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, winner of the February 25 presidential election, which process and outcome have been roundly criticised by local and international observers.

Addressing a group of supporters, who came to his country home in Nvosi, Isialangwa South, to congratulate him for leading Labour Party to massive win in the National Assembly election, called on eligible voters in Abia to turn out en mass on Saturday and vote for the party in the governorship and state assembly elections.

He said Obi has a history of always reclaiming his mandate, pointing to his time as governor of Anambra State, when he had to go to the court to prove that he was the duly elected governor, and later, when he was impeached, he returned to power .

“Notwithstanding what INEC had declared, I want all of you, indeed, all eligible voters in the state, to come out massively, just like you did on February 25, to vote for Labour Party in the governorship and state assembly elections.

“I don’t want you to be discouraged. Be rest assured that our presidential candidate, Obi, will reclaim his mandate, freely given by the people of Nigeria, who desire positive change.

“Never in the history of Nigeria’s democracy has any presidential candidate been so widely accepted and approved of across tribal, ethnic, political and religious lines, especially by Nigerian youths, as in the February 25 presidential election.

“The only way we can show that we are determined in our pursuit for a new Nigeria, which Obi envisioned and preaches, is for us in Abia to complete cleansing of our state of bad leaders, which we started on February 25, with the National Assembly election where we elected almost all Labour Party candidates,” Otti declared.

The Guardian recalls that Labour Party won six out of eight House of Representatives seats and one Senatorial slot out of three in Abia, declared by INEC.