TheCable

Chimaroke Nnamani, senator representing Enugu East, says Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) is trying to demarket President-elect Bola Tinubu.

On March 21, Obi filed a petition at the tribunal challenging the victory of Tinubu in the presidential election.

In the suit, the LP candidate said Tinubu was not qualified to contest the election and asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in which the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate will not participate.

In a statement on Sunday, Nnamani urged Obi and his supporters to accept the reality that Tinubu is the president-elect of Nigeria.

“Obi knows he has neither spread nor national appeal to win the presidential election, what Obi is doing with the petition is trying to demarket Tinubu,” Nnamani said.

“His petition is dead on arrival, he does not have the spread or national appeal. His appeal to non-electoral matters is to demarket the president-elect and damage his reputation.

“He does not have near spread and national appeal, the petition is ego-driven and a joke carried too far.

“His attempt to highlight on non-electoral issues is trying to embarrass the president-elect.”

Nnamani said Obi needs to give room for negotiation on behalf of the Igbos for a stake at the national level.

“We must join the mainstream and participate in the making of a new Nigeria,” Nnamani said.

“We are not going anywhere and ready to bargain for our own share. It is a common knowledge that others are doing the same.

“Igbo has to confront reality now or be consigned to the backwoods of history. Time to align is now.”

Nnamani lost his senatorial re-election bid in March, with Kelvin Chukwu, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), defeating him in the poll.