The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari following the validation of his electoral victory at the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the ruling of the Presidential election petition tribunal which had upheld Buhari's election.
Reacting to the court verdict, Tinubu in a statement he personally signed said the victory is a result of the President’s hard work and of the trust the people have in him as a committed leader. The statement reads in part;
“I congratulate President Buhari and the entire APC on a well-deserved legal affirmation of a hard-won electoral victory. The victory is a result of the President’s hard work and of the trust the people have in him as a committed leader. With these electoral and legal victories now behind us, the APC must give due honor to the faith the people have reposed in us. They expect us to govern in a way that produces the shared prosperity and enlightened future they deserve. We must commit ourselves fully to this profound and august task.
“I must also give due respect to the PDP and former VP Atiku for the energetic electoral campaign they conducted and for their tenacious pursuit of what they believed was their legal remedies. Although they lost at the polls, they did not seek to overturn the system. Instead, they respected the system that had so often decided in their favor in previous elections and judicial proceedings.
“They behaved like good democrats by seeking redress through the courts as is their right. This was the legal and moral thing to do. Although we are political opponents, I must commend them for following the pathways of democracy and peaceful, legal resolution of their grievances. This is as it ought to be. In an election there can only be one winner. By conducting themselves as they have, the PDP may not have gained the verdict they wanted in court.
“However, the verdict of history will be that their comportment thus far has helped strengthen our political democracy and its legal safeguards. I pray that they recognize the importance of this and that this service to the nation provides them a degree of solace going forward. I ask them to now channel the formidable energy and intellect they deployed in the electoral and legal processes toward joining with us, to the extent possible, to move this nation more rapidly and assuredly forward. As I stated before, I know the magnanimity of President Buhari. His hand is extended to them in friendship and cooperation. For the good of the nation, I urge them to take it.
“Most importantly, it is fitting to commend the people of Nigeria. You are a law-abiding and good people. You voted in peace and good faith and you awaited the judicial process in like manner. You expect nothing from government but what it ought to do for you. You are the backbone and best hope of our land. President Buhari and the APC shall work for your benefit and on your behalf in order to realize our common dream of a better nation.
“Today we moved a step closer to that dream.”
