Nigeria’s iconic politician dismisses media report on presidential campaign’s legal fees

Iconic Nigerian politician and growing rave among political active African youths, Peter Obi, has dismissed claims in sections of the media that his campaign organization spent N N744,500,000.00 to retain lawyers who represented him at the 2023 election.

Peter Obi and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Ahmed, ran what according to many a blistering campaign, shattering known political outcomes in the West African country.

Though he emerged third according to Nigeria’s electoral umpire, but the conduct of the election by impartial international observers insisted that the entire process was not transparent.

Obi campaign office, the Obi/Datti Campaign Organiziation on Wednesday described the report on his legal fees as “wrong analysis,” stating that the sum covered “research, accommodations, transportation local and international flights, and stationery of our various documents.”

According to Yunusa Tanko, chief spokesperson of the Obi-Datti Campaign Committee, The legal fee remains a personal.

“But our compound expenses on legal matters cannot be tied to lawyers.

“We would like to be on the same page with the public on this matter and remind them that legal expenses are different from legal fees.

“Legal expenses encompass all the things concerning our legal cases, ranging from pre-election to post-election legal processes.

“The filing of cases before elections, on matters involving our candidate, transmitting and photocopying of legal documents, bringing experts from overseas during our post-election legal battles, and their accommodation all form the legal expenses.

“Also included were the funding of lawyers sent to states to collect electoral materials from INEC State offices and financial assistance to some of the candidates of the Party who had legal issues, among others.

“As a body determined to inject sanity into our polity, We will continue in the right direction in ensuring that we transparently account for these funds.

“We continue to thank those who assisted us in one way or the other, especially our legal team at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, whose hard work and sacrifices remain immeasurable, despite the outcome of our election petitions, which can only be blamed on the Nigerian factor,” he said.

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