President Bola Tinubu has offered an olive branch to his closest rivals at the February 2023 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi, to work together with him to build Nigeria.
Abubakar was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Obi carried the Labour Party (LP)’s flag.
President Tinubu’s appeal is coming after he defeated the two rivals at the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court, on Thursday.
Tinubu said it was time for Atiku and Obi to collaborate with him in building Nigeria and moving the country forward.
The Supreme Court a few hours earlier had dismissed the appeals filed by Atiku and Obi against Tinubu’s declaration as the winner of the election.
Reacting, Tinubu said his victory at the Supreme Court had further energised and strengthened his commitment to serve Nigerians of all political persuasions, tribes and faiths with honour and total respect.
His official statement was entitled: ‘It is time for us to build our great nation together’.
It reads:
“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 the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party, challenging the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The victory of today has further energised and strengthened my 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.
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.
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.
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.”
