PDP, LP plotting Nigeria’s disgrace, isolation — Abdullahi Adamu

 

 

.As Tinubu begins reconciliation moves, sets up C’ttees to meet Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso

 

 

Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

 

 

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu has said that the People’s Democratic Party, PDP and Labour Party are planning to set the country up for global opprobrium.

 

The APC national chairman while condemning the walk out staged by the opposition political parties said the action was an attempt to sabotage the elections and throw the country into chaos and avoidable crisis.

 

While briefing the press, Thursday on the victory of his party in the last Saturday presidential election, Senator Adamu said it is a pity that the parties took their loss so badly; and that they ought to be good sportsmen and women in the political arena.

 

He said, “Their protest walk out from the collation centre was childish but clearly a calculated attempt to rubbish the elections and impugn the integrity of the electoral umpire.

 

“Their call for the cancellation of the elections over their unproven allegations of electoral fraud must be the height of diabolical desperation. All patriotic citizens of this country who value peace and unity of purpose must rise with one voice to condemn these elements who want to parade themselves in the public space as the guardians of our electoral system.

 

“Aided by some self-appointed guardians of our nation’s conscience, they wanted to turn the victory of our party into ashes in the mouths of all Nigerians and set the country up for global opprobrium. It is condemnable and unpatriotic and unworthy of men who ought to recognise that in a democracy respect for the right of the people to freely choose their leaders through an election is the fundamental pillar of that form of government. Nothing in our laws and the constitution gives aggrieved individuals and groups the right to abort the unequivocal choices freely made by the people in their wisdom. Power belongs to the people and the people must be allowed to exercise it in the best way they choose in instituting the government of their choice.

 

“Our laws provide channels for the redress of electoral grievances. We urge those who feel aggrieved to avail themselves of those channels to seek redress. To set the house on fire in pursuit of a rat is not an act of courage or patriotism. It stands condemnable.

 

“We are happy to say that the people have seen through their unpatriotic antics and rejected their attempts to set the country on fire. We commend the highly placed and patriotic former public officers who instantly rose up in defence of the conduct of the elections and the election results and condemned the saboteurs. They have once more risen to the challenge of saving our nation from a needless crisis. We salute them. We must learn to be good losers, not bad losers. It is the hallmark of good citizenship.”

 

In another development,  President-Elect, Bola Tinubu has set up committees to meet aggrieved presidential candidates to start the “healing process”.

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and a member of the committees disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde.

 

He said a Committee of Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon begin to meet with co-contestants of the President-elect in a bid to assuage their loss in the just concluded poll.

 

He stressed that every aggrieved person will be met for reconciliation.

 

“The President-elect has set up committees to meet with the gentlemen who contested in the election for us to start the healing process. I belong to one of the committees. We are going to meet them and appeal to them so that we can work together,” the governor stated.

 

Tinubu polled 8,794,726 and was declared President-Elect on Wednesday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

 

Top opposition parties in the election like Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have rejected the outcome of the poll, saying the electoral umpire failed to play by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 on electronic transmission of results. The oppositions have also threatened to head to court to challenge the outcome of the poll.

 

Atiku Abubakar got 6,984,520 votes, Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi scored 6,101,533 and NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso secured 1,496,687 votes.

 

In his acceptance speech on Wednesday, the former Lagos State governor extended olive branches to his co-contestants. “I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team up together. It is the only nation we have. It is one country and we must build together,” he said.

 

“Whether you are Batified or Atikulated, Obidients, Kwankwasiyya or have any other political affiliation, you voted and struggled for a better Nigeria, more hopeful nation and I thank you for you participation and dedication to our democracy.

 

“You decided to place your trust in the democratic vision of a Nigerian founded on a shared prosperity and one nurtured by the ideas of unity, justice, peace and tolerance,” Tinubu added.