Dr. Ene Ogbole, a former coordinator in the dissolved All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council, appeals to presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party to withdraw their cases against President Bola Tinubu from the election petition tribunal. Ogbole made this plea during a press conference in Abuja, urging both parties to join Tinubu in his pursuit of a government of national unity.
She emphasizes that while it is within the rights of aggrieved candidates to seek legal redress, she believes it is in the national interest for Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to withdraw their litigations against the president and collaborate with him in establishing a proposed national unity and all-inclusive government. Ogbole expresses confidence in Tinubu's administration's commitment to peace, development, and progress in Nigeria, and suggests that other candidates should selflessly align their intentions with Tinubu's agenda for the greater good of the nation.
The appeal comes shortly after Atiku called upon a digital forensic expert, Mr. Hitler Nwala, who testified that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) intentionally deleted Presidential Election results from all 110 BVAS machines he inspected. Nwala's findings indicate that the election results of the Federal Capital Territory were deliberately erased from the BVAS machine.
However, Ogbole, as the former coordinator of Tinubu's campaign council, argues that the withdrawal of their cases would demonstrate to the world that Obi and Atiku's struggles are not personal or driven by selfish motives. She believes that working together with the president is the best way to fulfill Tinubu's promises of "Renewed Hope" to Nigerians. According to Ogbole, Tinubu's government has demonstrated its transformative nature and the potential to reunite and reposition Nigeria for progress.
Ogbole further calls upon elder statesmen across Nigeria to swiftly convene a roundtable meeting, appealing to all aggrieved parties not to undermine the will of the people through distractions, but to join the government elected by Nigerians to bring about unprecedented development for the betterment of all. She stresses that the current time calls for unity and progress in the nation's interest.
Cesnabmihilo Nihu-Aken'Ova, a former presidential aspirant of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 election, echoes Ogbole's appeal, stating that it is evident that Tinubu emerged as the winner of the election. Nihu-Aken'Ova believes that those proceeding to court are wasting time, as the campaign phase has concluded, and candidates like Atiku and Obi have already been sworn in at the governorship and National Assembly levels.
