Inauguration: There will be efforts to taint my hard-earned image, but Nigerians must remain peaceful – Peter Obi

Ahead of the inauguration of Bola Tinubu as the 16th President of Nigeria, Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who is challenging the All Progressives Congress candidate’s victory in the presidential poll in court, has again appealed to Nigerians to remain peaceful and law-abiding. 

In the lengthy statement he released today, Obi noted that Nigeria remains our only patrimony and it is a patrimony we must protect, rather than violate. 

He also that while there are efforts to taint his hard-earned image, he expects that the Nigerian judiciary will use the election cases to reaffirm its independence and integrity. 

The statement reads; 

“For all Nigerians, this is a time for deep reflection. It is also a time to re-examine our assumptions, even as we reaffirm our hopes. Let us calmly review our aspirations, in order to recalibrate our expectations and pin down the causes of our missed opportunities and disappointments. We stand at that critical moment in time when, as a people, we must collectively come to grips with the reality of our injured destiny as well as the reasons for that injury. 

“It is for us to reassess our plight as a young democracy and identify clear pathways to a better and greater future for us all. As we await the verdict of the election tribunal, I urge all Nigerians to use this opportunity to renew their commitment to the Nigerian ideal. That ideal remains noble and worth every sacrifice we can make.

“Nigeria remains our only patrimony and it is a patrimony we must protect, rather than violate. We have no other nation but this, so let us remain committed to rescuing and rebuilding it.

‘’The judiciary is part of the democratic enterprise and a critical governance tool for determining the propriety of the decisions and actions of every citizen and every institution of state. To that extent, and for that reason, I urge everyone to treat it with the respect and dignity it deserves. We expect that the Nigerian judiciary will use the election cases now before it to reaffirm its independence and integrity. It has to do so, for all our sakes and for itself.

“Nigerians must, therefore, remain peaceful and law abiding. No matter the depth of anyone’s reservations about what is going on in the polity today, no matter the real and imagined provocations, and no matter the disagreement out there, we should remember that this will not last forever. I remain committed, and untiring, in my determination to work with like-minded fellow Nigerians to end the curse of missed opportunities and squandered hope that has become our lot here.

“I will never shrink from that original commitment, because I firmly believe that we must change from the present politics of criminality, and corruption, in order to make a new Nigeria possible. I call on fellow Nigerians, especially the youths to remain steadfast, calm, patient, and peaceful. Our journey may be long and difficult but it is worth it in every way. Victory is assured.

“We have to work together to move our beautiful country from corruption and criminality to a center of productivity rather than aimless consumption. I am aware of some evil designs being hatched against me and my supporters in the coming months. Efforts will be made to taint my image. Campaigns of calumny are being perfected to defame my character and diminish my hard-earned integrity.

“These schemes will aim at degrading our support base and confusing the public. But, no evil campaign will alter the substance of my character; nor diminish my patriotic commitment to a better Nigeria. It is about the future of our youths. it is about ending the Years of Locust. In all of this, I thank Nigerians, our great party (LP) and the media. The latter, as the Fourth Estate of the realm, has remained a trusted ally.

“This Estate must continue to guide our people on the immense promise of a future in a new Nigeria. God bless Nigeria and protect the troops keeping us safe in this season of vaulting insecurity. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. -PO”