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Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has strongly condemned the conduct of the Rivers State Local Government election, describing it as a “mockery of democracy” and “rascality taken too far.”
In a statement released on his verified X handle, Obi faulted the exercise overseen by a Sole Administrator in the state, noting that the official himself was “illegally appointed” and therefore lacked the moral and legal authority to preside over a democratic process.
“The conduct of the Rivers State local government election represents a double tragedy for our democracy,” Obi said. “This is not democracy; it is the outright desecration of its very foundation.”
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Obi stressed that the process was unconstitutional, legally untenable, and morally indefensible, warning that any structure erected on illegality is a danger to both the state and its people.
He added that Nigeria cannot continue to pretend to practise democracy while silencing the will of the people, especially at the grassroots level where it matters most.
Calling for the sanctity of the ballot to be upheld, the former Anambra governor insisted that genuine leadership must flow from the people’s mandate, not from “contraptions that mock democracy.”
Read Full text below:
Rivers LG Election: A Mockery of Democracy
The conduct of the Rivers State local Government election is rascality taken too far. It represents a double tragedy for our democracy when a Sole Administrator – himself illegally appointed – dares to conduct an election that should empower the people. This is not democracy; it is the outright desecration of its very foundation.
Such actions are unconstitutional, legally untenable, and morally indefensible. They send a dangerous message that the rule of law can be discarded at the whim of those in power. But the truth remains unshaken: illegality can never give birth to legitimacy. Any structure erected on a foundation of lawlessness is a danger to both the state and the people.
Nigeria cannot afford to continue on this perilous path. We cannot pretend to practise democracy while silencing the will of the people – especially at the grassroots, where democracy matters most.
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If we truly seek progress, we must uphold the sanctity of the ballot, safeguard the people’s right to choose, and insist that leadership at every level flows from their mandate – not from contraptions that mock democracy. Only then will governance have meaning, and only then can the sacred bond of trust between leaders and the people be restored.
A New Nigeria is POssible. – PO
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