Nigerians across political divide received the news of the affirmation of the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with joy, and expressed hope that he can now sit down and be well-focused in solving the myriads’ of the problems limiting the country from reaching her full potentials.
The man in the centre of the storm himself, roared from the precincts of Aso Rock Villa of the Presidency, appreciating God. He said “with deep gratitude to God Almighty, I solemnly and humbly accept today’s judicial victory with an intense sense of responsibility and a burning desire to meet the great challenges confronting our people”.
He added, jubilantly that “I want to reiterate that my faith in our nation’s judiciary has never been shaken, not even for a moment, because I know that our hallowed courts of law will not fail to administer justice to all Nigerians in all matters and at all times. Despite the fusillade of pressure and attempts at intimidation by some political actors, the judiciary demonstrated its unequivocal commitment to upholding the rule of law for the upliftment and defence of humanity”.
The victory dances and thumping’s in the streets were echoed by an elder stateman and the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari exemplified the mood of many when he said the decision to dismiss the appeals by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), by the Supreme Court, is a welcome relief to him and to a majority of the citizens of Nigeria.
The former President repeated what he had earlier said on the earlier after the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) verdict on 6 September, which affirmed President Tinubu’s victory, that the decision is “a reaffirmation of the will of the majority of the people against the determined will of a hard-fighting minority.”
In a statement signed by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, the statesman said “now that we have arrived at the last bus-stop, after a tortuous eight months of expensive legal journey, the nation deserves a break. The opposition has fought a good fight. Having now exhausted their rights as constitutionally allowed, they should take the hand of fellowship extended by the Tinubu/Shettima government. Let them allow the Government to run their administration and the people to enjoy the full benefits of the promises the APC made.”
The elated president in his response said “I welcome the verdict of the Justice John I. Okoro-led Panel of the Supreme Court on the Presidential Election petitions filed by the candidates of PDP and LP, challenging the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal”.
According to President Tinubu, “the court has done justice to all issues put up for consideration in the petitions on the merits of the law, without fear or favour”.
“There is no doubt, with the profound judgment of today, that our electoral jurisprudence and constitutional democracy are further consolidated and embedded more indelibly in our national identity because of the diligence and undaunted professionalism of the Honourable Justices who presided over the matter”, he said.
President Tinubu said in a statement personally signed by him that “while the verdict of today has laid to rest the agitating discourse over who truly won the 2023 Presidential election and met the constitutional requirements as laid out by law, I want to reiterate that my faith in our nation’s judiciary has never been shaken, not even for a moment, because I know that our hallowed courts of law will not fail to administer justice to all Nigerians in all matters and at all times. Despite the fusillade of pressure and attempts at intimidation by some political actors, the judiciary demonstrated its unequivocal commitment to upholding the rule of law for the upliftment and defence of humanity”.
He continued: “It was affirmed once more today, that my party, the governing All Progressives’ Congress, had freely and fairly won the popular mandate of Nigerians, which has since given rise to my leadership of this great nation at a tumultuous period of unprecedented reforms in our history as a nation”.
The President added that the victory of today has further energised and strengthened to his commitment to continue to serve all Nigerians of all political persuasions, tribes, and faiths, with honour and total respect for the diverse opinions and uniting values of our citizens.
“Our Renewed Hope agenda for a greater and prosperous Nigeria has further gained momentum and I will continue to work from morning to night, every single day, to build a country that meets our collective yearnings and aspirations”, he said.
He counselled that “we are all members of one household, and this moment demands that we continue to work and build our country together. The strength of our diversity and the great citizenship that binds us must now compel us forward in directing the energy of our people towards building a virile, stronger, united, and more prosperous country.
He believed that Nigerians in “the days and months ahead, I trust that the spirit of patriotism will be elevated into supporting our administration to improve the living conditions of Nigerians. I am prepared to welcome the contributions of all Nigerians to foster and strengthen our collective progress”.
He appreciatingly I send my immense gratitude to all Nigerians for the mandate to serve our country. I promise again to meet and exceed your expectations in service delivery and good governance, working with my team and trusting in the grace of God.
www.focusmagazineonline.com reported that the Apex Court in Nigeria, the Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as duly and validly elected president of Nigeria. The seven-man panel of the Justices of the Court threw out the appeals of both Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who had challenged Tinubu’s victory in last February’s election.
Atiku and Obi, who came second and third, respectively, had sought to reverse the presidential election.
The Election Petition Court had in September upheld Tinubu’s victory, but Atiku and Obi, the presidential candidates of the PDP and Labour Party, respectively, insisted the Supreme Court should quash the judgement.
A former Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce congratulated President Bola Tinubu and the people of Nigeria, who he believed “now have clarity for the future”.
“Perhaps we can now focus on the task of building our nation and growing our economy to enable it to deliver a decent living and opportunities for positive human development for all Nigerians, especially the masses”, he added.
Ben Bruce was of the opinion “that the Supreme Court has now ruled on the appeal brought by my party and its Presidential candidate. I do not comment on the rightness or wrongness of the judgment, except to say that as a law-abiding and patriotic citizen of Nigeria, it is accepted that the Supreme Court is final”.
He added that therefore, the judgment should be accepted by all Nigerians as settling all the issues of contention and the matter of who won the Presidential election held on February 25, 2023. Therefore, I call on the Peoples Democratic Party and its Presidential candidate, Waziri Atiku Abubakar, to accept the judgment and let this controversy end.
He urged his party, PDP, to “let learn from the disunity that cost us this election. If a united opposition could not defeat the ruling APC in 2019, we showed an extreme lack of judgment to have allowed division within our ranks in 2022-2023. Hopefully, we can make better decisions for the future”.
The media adviser to Alhaji Atiku Abubarkar, Chief Dele Momodu said “the beauty of going to court by aggrieved parties is not always about winning but by deepening our Democratic ideals and enriching our Legal System. What is left now is the academic exercise. The appellants have exercised their fundamental human rights and must be congratulated”.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo believed that “by the judgment of the Supreme Court today, the laymen prowling all over the social media can now clearly see that there is a wide chasm between emotions and law. These were Election Petitions pursued with unnecessary venom and hatred by most of those involved. Today, they have learnt a bitter lesson that such venom, hatred and sentiment have no place in judicial proceedings and deliberations. Their journey has come to a grinding end”.
He added further that “we had consistently made the same points to the opposition, but they kept giving their supporters false hopes and goading them in the wrong direction. Unfortunately for them, all the vituperations poured out against the judiciary actually cut no ice with it. Our Justices are always firm, courageous and cerebral. Kudos to them”.
He pleaded that “what is now left is nation-building. The other Presidential candidates must now call President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and congratulate him as true patriots. We as patriotic citizens must also now close ranks to help steer our country in the right direction. I wish all of us well”.
© www.focusmagazineonline.com 26 October 2023.
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