Obi, a former Anambra State Governor, also congratulated Liberian former Vice President Joseph Boakai on his victory against the incumbent in the keenly-contested election.
Weah lost his re-election bid to Boakyi, whom he defeated with a wide margin in the second-round presidential vote in 2017.
On Friday, November 17, 2023, the Liberian electoral commission announced that the opposition leader scored 50.9% of the vote over Weah’s 49.1%. Following the announcement, President Weah congratulated his opponent on his victory and thanked the people of Liberia for peacefully exercising their rights.
Reacting to the development in a series of tweets on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday night, Obi lauded Weah for graciously conceding defeat to his challenger.
“I have followed with very keen interest, the just concluded and seamless Presidential elections in our West African neighbour, Liberia. I congratulate the declared winner, former Vice President and now President-elect of Liberia, H.E. Joseph N. Boakai of the Unity Party.
“I also extend my congratulations to the president, H.E. George Weah, who has graciously conceded defeat, and thank him especially, for his exemplary respect for democracy and the rule of law,” his tweet read in part.
He also reserved special praise for the country’s electoral commission for conducting a credible poll and setting high standards for African countries to follow.
“Finally, I’d like to especially congratulate the entire people of Liberia, and salute their National institutions, particularly the Electoral Commission of Liberia who by their respective exemplary conducts, have added fillip to the credibility of the elections, and in so doing, strengthened democracy in Liberia and Africa.
“Liberia has set a high bar for African countries to follow in the way they have conducted and concluded the Presidential elections without rancour and litigation. I wish them well and a smooth transition and continuity in governance. -PO.” he added.
Unlike his Liberian counterpart, the Labour Party presidential candidate lost his election bid, finishing third in the race behind President Bola Tinubu and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Obi contested the outcome of the February 25 election up to the Supreme Court but failed to prove his allegations that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) connived with the ruling party to rob him of victory.
