By Joy Odor
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu has affirmed that the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) call for the cancellation of the elections over their unproven allegations of electoral fraud must be the height of diabolical desperation.
He condemned in strongest possible terms the shameful conduct of the PDP and LP in their unwarranted attempts to sabotage the elections and throw the country into chaos and avoidable crisis.
Adamu who made this known on Thursday, during a press briefing at the party secretariat in Abuja while officially congratulating the President elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President-Elect, Senator Kashim Shettima on their victory informed that it is a pity that they take their loss so badly rather than showing good sportsmanship in the political arena.
According to him, 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.
APC Chairman was of the opinion that patriotic citizens of the country who value peace and unity of purpose, must rise with one voice to condemn PDP and LP 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 aggrieves 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 see 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” Adamu said.
The APC Chairman commended the mass media for their role in the conduct of the elections, expressing that the media too ran the good race and must share in the victory.
Senator Adanu commended the INEC Chairman and his members as they laboured under a dark cloud of sabotage, their offices torched in several states, its personnel attacked but Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the man who has done more than anyone else in that difficult office refused to be intimidated and be deflected from doing his duty to his country and his compatriots.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission, the undisputed empire of our elections, has formally announced the results of the presidential election as well as those of the national assembly. It declared the presidential candidate of our party, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, having met and even exceeded the constitutional requirement that to win, a presidential candidate shall score at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in two-thirds of the states of the federation. He scored at least 25 per cent in 33 states of the federation. The commission has duly issued him with the certificate of return. It is a happy day for him, our party, and our country.
“Jagaban is the informed choice of the electorate. He clearly won fair and square. I offer him my very hearty congratulations. Mr President-elect, with your victory, the people have also renewed the tenancy of our political party in Aso Rock. Ours is the party the people can trust.
“As the national chairman of APC, our victory is a humbling but proud experience for me. The people have spoken loud and clear. Their judgement was informed and supreme. The choice they made is the choice they can live with. We salute them. We salute their free and fair decision.
“We accept the victory of our presidential candidate and the party with humility and gratitude to the almighty God and the entire people of this great nation. We, of the National Executive Committee and the national working committee of our great party join millions of our compatriots in congratulating the president-elect and indeed all our members in celebrating the resounding victory of our party at the polls.
“We congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari for the peaceful conduct of the elections. He duly delivered on his promise to provide the enabling level playing field for all the political parties and their candidates. He stood for freedom of choice and action. His legacy of abiding by the rule of law shall be the hallmark of our party’s leadership in our dear country. He has cemented his place in our national history. Thank you, Mr President, for standing by the party and especially its presidential candidate.
