The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national working committee (NWC) has named Iliya Umar Damagum as the acting national chairman.

Until his appointment, Damagum was the PDP national deputy chairman (north).

Debo Ologunagba, the PDP spokesperson, made the announcement on Tuesday at a press conference in Abuja.

The appointment follows a high court order restraining Ayu from parading himself as the party’s national chairman.

The second runner-up of the concluded presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Peter Obi has dismissed claims that the OBIdient movement is fueled by tribe, ethnicity, and religion.

According to the Labour Partyman in a statement from his official social media handle, the movement is the arrowhead in the take-back Nigeria mission, and saving of democracy.

He wrote; “In the life of every nation, there is a turning point. For Nigeria, that time is now; a time to save Nigeria, save our democracy, and give the Nigerian youths hope. The OBIdient Movement has been the arrowhead in the take-back Nigeria mission.”

The former governor of Anambra claims that his position in the Movement is that of a focal point, emphasizing the fact that Nigeria is still a secular nation.

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As a result, the movement is neither about tribe nor faith, nor is there any attempt to Christianize Nigeria or further Igbo interests.

Peter Obi continued by expressing his desire for a brand-new Nigeria in which the progeny of nobody will rise to prominence.

A country where the interests of the whole youth from the six geopolitical zones are prioritized over the interests of any particular group; one where national interests, rather than those of any particular group, are the driving force.

“No one should ascribe ethnic or religious coloration to the OBIdient Movement. Nigeria is one and my ambition is to become the President of a United and Indivisible Nigeria,” he added.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has budgeted over N3bn to defend the results of the February 25 presidential and national assembly election and the March 18 governorship and state assembly polls.

It was gathered that several candidates who lost in the elections have filed petitions at the presidential and state election petition tribunals to challenge the outcome of the polls.

So far, over 100 election petitions have been filed by aggrieved candidates and their parties across the country.

The presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; the Labour Party, Peter Obi; the Action Alliance, Solomon Okangbuan; Allied People’s Movement, Chichi Ojei, have also filed petitions for the nullification of the presidential election results.

INEC had on March 1 declared the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the February 25 presidential election, but the five candidates filed petitions seeking the nullification of the poll.

Also, election petition tribunals in over 12 states have equally received petitions from National Assembly candidates who are not satisfied with the results of the just concluded elections.

The states where the petitions had been received included Edo, Plateau, Ondo, Kwara, Ogun, Bayelsa, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Bauchi, Lagos and Niger states.