Politics
Presidential Election: Tinubu, Atiku, Obi In War Of Words Over Victory Claims

Forty-eight hours after the keenly contested presidential election, mixed reactions have continued to trail the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Party, APC, president-elect, after defeating his contenders with majority votes at the Saturday, February 25 polls.
It has been a season of cheers and rejections.
Candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, on Thursday declared their resolve to challenge the outcome of the poll.
Obi, on Thursday, against the declaration of INEC, said he won the election and would explore all legal and peaceful means to prove that he won at the polls.
Atiku Abubakar of the PDP advanced a similar position.
Amid the confusion, Tinubu’s camp has stated its readiness to defeat challengers in court.
I’ll prove my victory in Court- Peter Obi
At a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Obi, in his first public appearance since the conclusion of the presidential poll, which saw INEC declare Tinubu winner of the election, having polled 8,794,726 votes, said as demanded, he would approach the court to register his displeasure over the outcome of the polls.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Atiku, Obi Approach Court, Demand Election Materials Inspection
He said the polls did not meet the minimum standard to be qualified as free and fair.
Obi, who said he had challenged several election results and came out victorious, said this case would not be an exception as he would be approaching the court for justice.
He assured Nigerians, especially party supporters, that he and his principal, Obi, were prepared to pursue and retrieve their mandate through the legal system.
“On this issue (presidential election), I am challenging the process. I will challenge this rascality for the country’s future,” he said.
INEC failed, election ‘rape of democracy’- Atiku
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, in the just concluded polls, has rejected the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential polls, arguing that the level of “manipulation and fraud that attended this election were unprecedented in our nation’s history.”
Atiku on Thursday, in his first media briefing in Abuja, after the poll, described the process as flawed – “a rape of democracy” which he said “must be challenged.”
Atiku lamented that he was addressing Nigerians with a heart full of sadness, mentioning that INEC failed in its responsibility to live up to expectations.
“I hope the judiciary will redeem itself this time and rise to society’s expectation as the last HOPE. Ultimately, who wins is not as important as the credibility of our elections and electoral processes.
“I call on all men and women of goodwill to join hands with us in the vanguard to defend our constitution from the brigandage of anti-democratic forces”, he stated.
Tinubu responds to Obi
Meanwhile, in reaction to Obi’s stance, president-elect, Tinubu, who called on Nigerians to ignore his opponent at the poll, stated that Obi is well-acknowledged with “penchant for spewing falsehood.”
He said Obi’s accumulated votes neither came close to his (Tinubu) at the polls nor did he “fulfil the minimum requirement of our constitution which requires a spread of 25 per cent in two-thirds of the States of the Federation.”
READ ALSO: Nigeria Presidential Election Flawed – Financial Times
In a statement he signed on Thursday, the Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, SAN, advised the former governor of Anambra State to stop misleading the gullible, noting that Tinubu won the election.
According to the results announced early Wednesday morning by the INEC, Tinubu of the APC polled 8,794,726 to defeat Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP with 6,884,520 votes.
In comparison, Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Sen Rabiu Kwakwanso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) recorded 6,101,533 in the third position and 1,496,687 votes (the 4th position), respectively.
The margin between Tinubu, who polled 8,794,726 votes and Obi who polled 6,101,533, is over 2.6 million votes.
Atiku, 76, who has now run for the presidency race six times, polled 6,984,520 votes, ahead of Obi, who polled 6,101,533.
Tinubu, Atiku, and Obi led in 12 states each, while Kwakwaso of NNPP led only in one State (Kano).
“It is also ludicrous that Mr Peter Obi is laying claim to victory along with his new-found partner, the PDP, that is also laying claim to victory. I tweeted this morning, thus: ‘This is the first time in my entire life that I am seeing people who came 2nd and 3rd in an exam both claiming they took first and then agreeing to protest together to the examiner to record that both of them took first, yet they are not seeing the contradiction in their actions.’ We stand by that comment.
“The President-Elect, ASIWAJU Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has extended a hand of fellowship to his defeated opponents, including Mr Peter Obi, to join hands with him in nation-building.
“Mr Peter Obi should embrace that hand of fellowship and brotherhood by the President-elect as a committed patriot instead of engaging in this crass grandstanding,” he added.
Although Tinubu, in his acceptance speech which was delivered at the headquarters of his campaign office on Wednesday morning, extended hands of fellowship to Atiku, Obi, and others who contested the race with him, there are enough indications that the major contestants would challenge the outcome in court.
Tinubu said his victory is for all Nigerians after the presentation of the Certificate of Return to him and the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, by Independent National Electoral Commission, Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Wednesday in Abuja,
On Atiku’s comment, Tinubu reacted in a statement by his campaign spokesperson and Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN, describing his reaction as a “typical fashion of the last kick of a dying horse.”
READ ALSO: JUST IN: I’ll Challenge Tinubu’s Victory, Says Atiku
Tinubu said with all the distractions and fractures in Atiku’s party, the PDP, under which he campaigned, he ought to have sensed beforehand that “he was headed for a humiliating defeat that should have put him a distant 3rd or 4th in the elections.”
Tinubu, who said Atiku’s performance was the best he could get, said his failure to unite his party and manage post-primaries’ fall-out was his eventual undoing.
“Atiku Abubakar’s decision to challenge the outcome of the results is welcome. We are prepared to meet his challenge, no matter the nature of the challenge, anywhere and anytime,” he added.
DAILY POST
Politics
PDP Unveils 13-member Screening Panel For National Convention

According to a statement issued on October 25, 2025, by the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) and signed by its Chairman, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who is also the Governor of Adamawa State, the screening exercise will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
The committee will be chaired by Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), a former Ondo State governorship candidate and respected legal luminary.
He will be assisted by Hon. Mohammed L.S. Diri (SAN) as Deputy Chairman, while Mr. Asue Ighodalo, Esq., will serve as Secretary. Jacob Otorkpa was named Deputy Secretary.
READ ALSO:Jonathan’s Ex-aide Dumps PDP For APC
Other members of the committee include: Emmanuel Enoidem (SAN), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Chief Mrs. Aduke Maina, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Achike Udenwa, Haj. Maryam Inna Ciroma, HM. Felix Hassan Hyat, HM. Zainab Maina, and Chinedu Nwachukwu, who will also serve as Administrative Secretary.
The statement noted that the selection reflected the PDP’s commitment to transparency, integrity, and internal democracy in the build-up to its national convention.
“The NCOC notes and expects that the exemplary conduct and strict adherence to rules and regulations during this very crucial assignment will justify the confidence reposed by the Party in members of the Committee,” the statement read.
READ ALSO:BREAKING: PDP Dismisses Anyanwu’s Forgery Claim, Says He Signed Convention Letters
Fintiri assured party members that the screening process will be conducted with the highest standards of fairness and impartiality, underscoring the PDP’s resolve to strengthen its democratic institutions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“This exercise is crucial in ensuring that only credible, competent, and loyal members emerge to steer the affairs of our great party,” Fintiri stated.
Politics
Why I Refused To Endorse El-Rufai As My Successor — Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he turned down a suggestion to endorse former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, as his successor.
Speaking on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the second edition of the annual Ajibosin Platform symposium themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance”, Obasanjo disclosed that former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had recommended El-Rufai for the presidency, but he rejected the idea.
Chidoka, who delivered the keynote address at the event, had earlier narrated how El-Rufai introduced him to Obasanjo at the age of 34, an encounter that led to his appointment as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Addressing the audience, Obasanjo took a playful jab at Chidoka for leaving out the El-Rufai story.
“Let him tell you. He didn’t mention that. He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor,” Obasanjo said.
READ ALSO:Four Miners Feared Dead, Others Trapped As Illegal Mining Site Collapses In Plateau
Turning to Chidoka, who was seated among the panelists, he asked, “No be so (Is that not true)?” The former minister nodded in agreement.
Obasanjo explained that he dismissed the suggestion because he believed El-Rufai still needed time to grow politically.
“I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he said, ‘I suggested this person, why didn’t you agree?’ I said El-Rufai needs to mature. You remember?
“When I left government and, many years later, he saw the performances of El-Rufai, he came back to me and said, ‘You’re absolutely correct. El-Rufai needed to mature.’”
The former president, however, commended Chidoka, El-Rufai, and other former aides for their “special attributes,” which he said contributed to the success of his administration.
READ ALSO:Nigeria Not Difficult To Govern If… – Obasanjo
Speaking further on leadership, Obasanjo emphasised character, exposure, experience, and training as essential qualities of effective governance.
Obasanjo said, “It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship.
“But it’s only in politics that there is no training in leadership. That’s not good enough.”
El-Rufai served under Obasanjo’s administration as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) before becoming the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 2003 and 2007. When Obasanjo was leaving office in 2007, he instead backed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as his preferred successor.
In his address, Chidoka blamed Nigeria’s development setbacks on excuses and what he described as the politics of alibi.
READ ALSO:Provide Evidence Of My Third Term Ambition’, Obasanjo Challenges Nigerians
“Leadership finds its true measure not in speeches or charisma but in the systems it leaves behind.
“Moral conviction must translate into the everyday machinery of governance—rules, routines, and institutions that make competence predictable and corruption difficult.
“Nigeria’s problem has never been a shortage of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors,” he said.
He urged leaders to prioritise accountability and measurable results.
“We must therefore make leadership accountable not to rhetoric but to results: measure by building national dashboards and accountability systems that track every promise, every budget, every outcome. Monitor by strengthening the institutions that evaluate government performance and expose complacency,” he said.
Politics
FULL LIST: Borno Tops In Voter Online Pre-registrations

Borno State has recorded the highest number of voter online pre-registrations nationwide as of Week Nine, according to newly released data from the Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday.
Out of a total of 8,003,196 Nigerians who completed the pre-registration process, Borno accounted for 826,130 entries, the highest figure recorded across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Osun State follows with 646,580 pre-registrations, while Lagos is next with 604,819. Kebbi registered 581,135, slightly ahead of Kaduna, which recorded 510,490. Ogun is close behind with 510,062, and Kano comes next with 421,941. Kogi also posted high numbers, registering 361,233, while Zamfara and Yobe followed with 304,065 and 292,714, respectively.
Jigawa added 284,384 pre-registrations, with the FCT recording 228,264. Oyo followed closely with 224,713. Katsina registered 205,933, while Sokoto and Nasarawa posted 209,392 and 183,519, respectively.
READ ALSO:Tinubu Nominates New Minister
Bauchi recorded 181,671, ahead of Delta, which registered 160,188. Kwara contributed 142,084, followed by Cross River with 119,773 and Ekiti with 114,244.
Imo State recorded 109,245 pre-registrations, with Niger adding 107,153 and Gombe logging 103,150. Plateau followed with 93,963, while Rivers and Adamawa registered 82,840 and 80,556, respectively. Taraba posted 65,684, Akwa Ibom 60,638, Benue 53,747, and Bayelsa 52,957.
At the lower end of the table, Enugu registered 25,541 voters, followed by Ondo with 17,618, Ebonyi with 13,979, Edo with 11,570, and Abia with 11,221, the lowest figure in the country.
Also, INEC announced that a total of 1,710,450 voters have completed their CVR nationwide as of week eight, combining both online pre-registration (956,566) and physical registration (753,884).
READ ALSO:Acting INEC Chair Outlines Preparations or Anambra Poll
In accordance with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC confirmed that registration activities in Anambra State remain suspended until after the governorship election scheduled for November 8, 2025.
Until recently, states in the South-West, particularly Osun, Lagos, and Ogun, had consistently led the CVR process since the exercise commenced on August 18, 2025.
However, recent data indicated an uptick in participation from northern states, especially Borno and Kebbi, amid renewed mobilisation campaigns.
It was reported that community-based organisations, religious leaders, and local officials in several northern states intensified sensitisation efforts to boost awareness and encourage eligible residents to register.
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