October 29, (THEWILL) – Last Thursday’s validation of the election of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 Presidential Election, Bola Tinubu, as the duly elected President of Nigeria by the Supreme Court has ended all controversies surrounding his earlier declaration and inauguration on May 29, 2023. Almost five months after his inauguration, President Tinubu can now settle down comfortably to face the business for which he was elected without any distraction whatsoever.
While the presidential candidates of the two main opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, respectively, seem to be moving on despite not being happy with the verdict and have apparently taken the judgment of the apex court in their strides, the onus now lies on the President to settle down to real governance as this is not the time for any politicking.
Without any iota of doubt, the experience of the past five months in the saddle must have been enough to show President Tinubu that the tasks ahead are truly enormous and very challenging . Great harm had been done to the economy and the entire facet of the Nigerian state in the past eight eight years by his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The old General, who is now enjoying his retirement in Daura, Katsina State, left so much rot in the system, leaving Tinubu and his team with the onerous task of salvaging a very battered economy and a highly pillaged state.
Although congratulatory and goodwill messages of all kinds have been coming in for Tinubu, whose job is now “secured” , at least , for the next four years, with solidarity visits in celebration of the victory at the Supreme Court, one important message that has been constant is the need to move Nigeria forward.
That message, more than before, becomes very important, especially now, given what most Nigerians are going through with economic and social hardships pervading the land as lack, deprivation, hunger and general insecurity, among other ills , have become the order of the day. The President, who has been struggling with policy somersault and inconsistencies since assuming office, now has to redouble his efforts and re-strategise to enable him clear the mess and heavy baggage left for him by Buhari’s lacklustre leadership.
The call by former President Goodluck Jonathan for Tinubu to rally political leaders together in the effort to move the country forward also stands out.
“We need to bring all our political leaders, including all our former presidents together. We will not be fighting; if top leaders continue fighting they will not suffer that much, but the downtrodden will suffer,” Jonathan said, while speaking to journalists after visiting Tinubu, following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of appeal against his emergence. He added, “Elections are over and we want to end that tension so we move forward.”
We commend Jonathan for his sincere and genuine advice and admonition which is devoid of any political coloration. This is what leadership is all about and exactly what the country needs now and we hope that President Tinubu will be further encouraged to continue with his all-inclusive approach to governance, instead of the divisive approach of his predecessor which unfortunately succeeded in creating animosity and discord in the country.
We therefore call on Tinubu to see the validation of his election by the Supreme Court as the push to redouble his efforts to rebuild Nigeria from the mess on ground to a country that all Nigerians will be proud of. We also call on the opposition to sheath their sword and join the new movement to rebuild the country to the enviable state it should be and restore her glory as the pride of Africa.
