The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has tightened up its security as Félix Tshisekedi’s opponent, Theodore Ngoy, filed a petition in the constitutional court, seeking to overturn the entire election after results declared Tshisekedi the winner with 73% of the votes in his favor.

Ngoy, a lawyer, professor, and pastor who is leading from behind with 0.02%, alleges widespread irregularities, which has motivated him to call for the election to be nullified.

He went on to explain that he was not convinced by the findings of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the agency in charge of overseeing elections in the country, which is also slated to rule on Ngoy’s appeal by January 10, 2024.

The prospect of the court upholding the contested results has fueled anxieties within the opposition camp, with concerns that they might resort to protests and demonstrations.

Authorities have decided to get ahead and deploy additional security forces throughout the country to maintain order and prevent any violent outbreaks.

President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo is a Congolese politician who has been the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since January 24, 2019. He first came to power in January 2019 following a disputed election that many observers said he had actually lost.