Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the recent local government elections in Rivers State, describing the process as “rascality taken too far” and a “double tragedy for our democracy.”
In a statement released on Sunday, Obi criticised the appointment of a Sole Administrator whom he referred to as “illegally appointed” to oversee an electoral process meant to reflect the will of the people.
“This is not democracy; it is the outright desecration of its very foundation,” he said.
The elections, conducted on Saturday, resulted in a sweeping victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC), which secured 20 out of the 23 local government areas. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the remaining three.
The outcome has drawn sharp criticism nationwide. Prominent opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, have described the process as a travesty of democratic norms.
Obi further decried the process as both unconstitutional and morally indefensible.
“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,” he warned.
Emphasising the need to protect democratic institutions, particularly at the grassroots level, Obi urged a return to electoral integrity.
“If we truly seek progress, we must uphold the sanctity of the ballot, safeguard the people’s right to choose, and ensure that leadership at every level derives from their mandate not from contraptions that mock democracy.”
“Only then will governance have meaning. Only then can the sacred bond of trust between leaders and the people be restored.”
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