A former Governor of Ekiti State and immediate past chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, congratulated the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on his victory at the February 25 presidential election.
Fayemi, in a press statement issued by his media aide, Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, on Wednesday, while advocating for a government of national unity, commended the “political resilience, brilliance, and shrewdness of Tinubu,” adding that the President-elect had, over the years, “mentored a vast number of Nigeria’s political leadership and worked hard to develop and sustain progressive ideology in Nigeria.”
He noted that, “Tinubu was the leader of opposition politics when it was not fashionable to be in the opposition in Nigeria, but through hard work, foresight, and compromise, he, working with other leaders, formed the APC, which has now won three consecutive presidential elections.”
Fayemi said he trusted the administration of Tinubu to fight for the interests of ordinary Nigerians, adding that the former Lagos State governor would work for the peace, progress and economic prosperity of the nation.
He said, “With the Asiwaju I know, I trust that his administration will fight for the interests of ordinary Nigerians and work hard to achieve our national goals of peace, unity, and economic prosperity. While Asiwaju might have been the presidential candidate of the APC, he would be President of all Nigerians and promote unity, equity, and fairness.
“I thank all members of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) and loyal party men and women across the length and breadth of the country who worked hard for our Party’s victory at the polls. This victory would not have been possible without the diligence and faithfulness of our members.
“I also wish to thank Nigerians who have trusted our party with presidential leadership again. I want to assure Nigerians that we will not disappoint and implement as faithfully as possible our presidential campaign manifesto.”
He further appealed to political leaders and actors to “shun inflammatory remarks, and encourage their followers to do the same,” adding that “we cannot burn down our country or truncate this precious democracy because of one electoral loss. There will be more electoral opportunities in future”
He also called on Tinubu and the APC to “seriously consider a government of national unity given the excellent performance of the opposition political parties,” noting that, “in this historic election cycle, there is no victor and no vanquished. This is not a time for triumphalism but a time to celebrate the resilience of ordinary Nigerians with sobriety.”
The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission and returning officer of the 2023 presidential election, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, had, in the early hours of Wednesday, declared the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the keenly contested election which was held on Saturday, February 25.
Trailing him were the Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi who emerged second and third respectively.
Tinubu, together with his vice president-elect, Kashim Shettima, is expected to be sworn in as the President and Vice President of Nigeria on May 29, 2023.
