THE presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, said he has not congratulated the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu, because the process through which he was elected lacked transparency.

The former Anambra State governor believes he won the February 25 poll and has vowed to explore all legal options to reclaim his mandate.

During a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, March 2, Obi declared he would be challenging the process because it did not meet the minimum standards expected of a free, fair and credible election.

He said, “We will explore all legal and peaceful options to reclaim our mandate. We won the election, and we will prove it to Nigerians.”

The election, according to Obi, “will go down as one of the most controversial elections ever conducted in Nigeria”.

“Please be assured that Datti and I will work, and this is not going to be the end but the beginning of the journey of the legal process. The people should remain, undoubtedly and deeply committed to the project of a new Nigeria,” he said.

At the briefing, Obi observed a one-minute silence for all injured and deceased victims of the February 25 poll.

Tinubu won the election with 8,794,726 votes, defeating Obi and the other 16 candidates to score the highest number of votes, according to figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He also had over 25 per cent of the votes cast in 30 states, more than the 24 states constitutionally required.

Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with 6,984,520 votes, while Peter Obi came a distant third with 6,101,533 votes.