Stop protest, withdraw court cases against Tinubu win, group urges Obi, Atiku

An All Progressives Congress (APC) support group for the Tinubu-Shettima presidency, Youth Alliance for Tinubu (YAT), has urged presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, counterpart, Atiku Abubakar to withdraw the lawsuits they instituted against the outcome of last Saturday’s presidential elections.

According to the group, the street protests embarked on by some of the candidates and their supporters who lost the election were attempts to truncate Nigeria’s democracy.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, National Coordinator, YAT, Bello Shagari, said the claims by both the Atiku and Obi’s camp that the election was manipulated for the APC candidate was false, saying none of the opposition party could have won as they were divided.

He added that contrary to statement credited to some international observers that the election fell short of Nigerians’ expectation, the poll was free, fair, credible and devoid of rigging.

Shagari noted that although the aggrieved parties have the right to challenge the outcome in court, they should rather join hands to support the president-elect in developing the country.

He stated: “It is true that before and during the election, Nigerians have praised the introduction of BVAS which has enhanced transparency and created confidence in our electoral process. That improvement alone has been praised widely by governmental and non governmental organizations nationally and internationally.

“However, when Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared winner, desperate elements have risen up against our democracy, insisting that the election was rigged, thereby threatening instability in the guise of protest and instigating the populace in order to truncate our democracy, simply because they cannot handle losing of election.

“It is even more surprising, that among the four major contenders, it is the third place and their supporters who are more aggressive in making such threats, when even if the allegations are true, they wouldn’t have won. Whereas, the major opposition PDP states had previously ganged up their attorney general’s against the election in a show of shame and an attempt to discredit our democracy.

“It is very evident that the elections held on February February 25, 2023 was free, fair and credible, and arguably one the best held in Nigeria. For instance, the winner of the election, Tinubu has lost his own hometown and stronghold of Lagos. Had this election not been free, fair and credible, Tinubu wouldn’t have lost Lagos to anyone or even lose President Muhammadu Buhari’s Katsina to PDP.”

Shagari further recalled that prior to the presidential election, the president who is the leader of the APC brought the naira redesign policy that was detrimental to the chance of the ruling party.

According to him, “even though we disagree with the monetary policies which restricted the circulation of cash, it is widely accepted by observers that the decision has curbed vote buying during the elections.”

Noting that although the policy was an obvious mischief to put the APC in a disadvantaged position by reducing its popularity among voters, the plan failed woefully in that respect.

He said: “Election is won by those who have worked to earn the votes of the people not by intimidation and protest. No political party has mobilized people in the nooks and crannies of Nigeria like the APC, and no candidate among those who ran for president has invested himself in the politics of Nigeria like H.E Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“This is a man who in his life history, has never lost an election. So why should we be surprised if he wins the presidency against an obviously divided opposition?

“We therefore wish to call on various stakeholders in the democratic struggle, including democratic governments all around the world, to come in defence of the Nigeria democracy. It is our duty to defend our mandate and our democracy. We cannot afford a few people who don’t want to accept a clear defeat in the elections to become a threat to the largest democracy in Africa which has survived its longest journey of 23 years. We also want to call on them to join hands with Tinubu in his effort in the renewal of hope for Nigerians.”