The National Association of Diaspora Alliance (NADA) in the United States of America (USA) has stated the Öbidient,” supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi can be likened to the vociferous supporter of United States of America, (USA) former president, Donald Trump.
The diaspora group, in a letter addressed to the President of USA, Joe Biden, and signed by Dr Oluseyi Senu-Oke and Dr Dotun Aliu, Chairman and President respectively, said there is nothing to worry about Nigeria’s unity, saying the nation will always come out stronger despite the escalating grievances.
The group alleged that some few individuals who have been spreading falsehood about Nigeria, saying this is extremely dishonourable, but manageable.
“He openly declared that he had won the election and that it had been stolen from him. His ardent supporters began acting out his script, claiming that the election had been rigged.
“He urged his followers to reclaim the mandate that had been taken from them. His supporters flocked to Capitol Hill, confident that they would reclaim the stolen mandate without having to wait for the court’s decision.
“Trump filed more than 30 frivolous and unfounded court cases in an attempt to overturn the election, but he ultimately lost all of them.
“The same situation is currently unfolding in Nigeria. On February 25, 2023, the electoral body held a presidential election, and a clear winner was declared after substantially meeting the requirements under Nigerian electoral law.
“Not long after the election, the second-place finisher — and disregarding the firstplace finisher — claimed he had won and that the results were rigged. He informed his supporters that the people’s mandate had been stolen and pleaded with them to reclaim it. This should sound familiar, Mr. President.
“They established the “Obidents Movement,” which actively and precisely followed a script dubbed “Trump method” in line with the strategy employed by the Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters. One of these is using all available means to undermine and cast doubt on the election and the president-elect on a national and international scale.
“Their presidential candidate filed a court petition to challenge the election process rather than the outcome. If the mandate was truly stolen, why not challenge the outcome and present evidence of votes stolen from the party?
“However, prior to any court proceedings, they began a protest on the streets and social media, proclaiming victory and demanding the return of their stolen mandate without a single shred of evidence to back up this heinous claim.
“Those who disagree with them are frequently threatened and verbally abused. There is ongoing intimidation and threat directed at the nation’s supreme court justices in an attempt to sway them to see things their way.
“No election, regardless of where it is held, is perfect. There are bound to be flaws within human limitations, but this should not translate into total condemnation of the election results, especially if such flaws are insignificant enough to overturn the election’s outcome.
“In Nigeria, where there were glitches in the transmission of voting results by voting machines. The glitches fuelled false claims that the election was rigged, despite the lack of evidence to back up this claim
“They continue to seek proof of vote-rigging conspiracy theories and intentionally hold the false and unshakeable belief, despite the lack of evidence, that ballot machines were compromised due to a failure to transmit results to the internet.
“More horrifying was the call by some unscrupulous elements for military intervention to establish an interim government, which would not only sever Nigeria’s current democratic system, but would also plunge the country into dictatorship, anarchy, and chaos, and, by extension, the instability of the African continent.”
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