Congratulations have continued to pour in for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, for his victory in last Saturday’s poll.
Tinubu won the presidential election with of 8, 794, 726 votes, defeating his major rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 6, 984, 520 votes and Peter Obi of Labour Party, who secured 6,101,533 votes.
Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party came a distant fourth with 1,496,687 votes.
In a statement on Wednesday, shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission, declared Tinubu as the winner of the election, the Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, described Tinubu’s victory as “a new dawn of renewed hope for the people.”
According to Akeredolu, Tinubu’s victory has put the enemies of the country to shame.
He said, “I extend courtesy to all Nigerians for making history and rendering nugatory the dark prophecies of workers of iniquity. They have exhibited uncommon resilience in the face of extreme provocation orchestrated by the enemies of this country to frustrate the whole process. Their determination has put them to shame.
“I must also thank, most profoundly, the good people of Ondo State for the remarkable impact which their participation has had on the whole process.”
Akeredolu also congratulated the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for living up to his promise “to bequeath a legacy of credible elections to the country.”
Also, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State described Tinubu’s emergence as a tribute to the resilience of the Nigerian people whose votes made it possible.
In a congratulatory statement that he personally signed on Wednesday, the governor said the victory “is a much deserved triumph, reflecting the connection between dedicated effort and reward.”
However, El-Rufai said with Tinubu’s victory, the ruling APC “has a duty to repay this faith by providing purposeful governance that delivers progressive outcomes for all Nigerians.”
Similarly, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State described Tinubu as a true democrat.
In a statement on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar, Ganduje applauded the hard political struggle and commitment of Tinubu’s political dynasty, which formed elements from across the nation in making sure that the presidential candidate won the entire process.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s genuine investment in human, national development and national integration played some critical roles in endearing him to all sections of the country.
“Tinubu’s decades-long fight for the restoration of democracy in the country is well understood by Nigerians. Hence, we see wisdom and valid reasons for entrusting our future to him.”
Ganduje expressed the confidence that “with our President-elect, Tinubu, leading the largest democracy in Africa, our continent will definitely benefit from the wealth of experience for the development of the continent.”
Similarly, Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, on Wednesday, described Tinubu’s emergence at the poll as a right choice, saying the President-elect was a square peg in a square hole.
Masari, who spoke with newsmen shortly after the declaration of the results by INEC, lauded the electoral umpire, security operatives and Nigerians generally over the success of the elections.
He said, ‘’God has vindicated me and other Nigerians by disappointing those who doubted INEC’s ability to declare Tinubu as President. We have delivered because we turned out en masse with our supporters and voted Bola Tinubu as our President.”
On his part, Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, congratulated the President-elect in a statement on Wednesday, describing the victory as a “truly deserving and a reassuring message that Nigerians ultimately value great antecedents, clear vision, national unity and security, and development over other partisan considerations.”
“It is a vote of confidence in the capacity of the President-elect to build on the great strides of President Muhamadu Buhari,” he said.
On his part, Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, chided former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who had faulted the collation of the polls results and called for cancellation.
Speaking on Wednesday, Yahaya said no leader worth the name would make the kind of remarks that the former President made.
“People like Olusegun Obasanjo and very senior persons should not encourage anything that will cause uproar as a result of elections,”Masari said.
According to him, Tinubu has the requisite grooming to ensure that people, including those in the opposition, were carried along.
Also, a former military administrator of Lagos State and Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), congratulated Tinubu, saying his victory was well-deserved.
Marwa, in a congratulatory letter to Tinubu on Wednesday, said the victory was attributable to Tinubu’s “years of focus, hard work, doggedness and the political sagacity of a democrat whose credential has been evident since the heyday of NADECO.”
“We look forward to the implementation of your visions for a new Nigeria as outlined in your manifesto during the campaign,” Marwa said.
Also, the Edo State chapter of the APC hailed the victory, in a statement on Wednesday by its Publicity Secretary, Peter Uwadiae.
“Despite the complexities which poses a daunting task ahead, we trust in your antecedents as a certified achiever to give a ‘Renewed Hope’ to the Nigerians,” the party said.
Similarly, the National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the APC, Mallam Salihu Lukman, on Wednesday called on the President-elect to take internal reform of the ruling party as one of his top priorities.
He said the need to purge the APC National Working Committee of unaccountability and abuse of office was long overdue.
He said, “At this point, we must, as leaders and associates of the President-elect accept this trust with high measure of humility. We must acknowledge and thank President Muhammadu Buhari for his leadership. In doing so, we should appeal to Asiwaju Tinubu, being the new leader of our party to consider this golden opportunity as a call to action to continue the struggle for the development of Nigerian democracy,” he said.
Also, the Deputy Senate President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, in statement on Wednesday said “Tinubu’s victory is a testament to a renewed hope for a better, forward-looking thinking Nigeria, in which we can better define our destiny as a people.”
