By Ayo Yusuf
Following Thursday’s judgment by the Supreme Court affirming President Bola Tinubu as President and winner of the 2023 Presidential election, the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has called on the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, to accept the Supreme Court’s judgment and work with the president for a better Nigeria.
TheNewDiplomat reports that after months of legal tussle, a seven-member panel of the apex court today affirmed President Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 election.
Supreme Court’s Justice John Okoro-led panel unanimously held that Obi and Abubakar’s appeals against Tinubu were bereft of merit and deserved to be dismissed.
The other justices on the panel are Uwani Aji, Mohammed Garba, Ibrahim Saulawa, Adamu Jauro, Abubakar Tijjani and Emmanuel Agim.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the judgment within the courtroom in Abuja on Thursday, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives who described the litigation as a distraction, assured reporters that President Tinubu will continue to extend hands fellowship to Atiku, Obi and other Nigerians.
According to him, “The litigation is a distraction. The litigants exercised their rights to go to court. But that has come to an end now. We now have to all come together as one country or one people and move ahead to take this country where it rightfully should be.”
The president’s COS described the apex court’s judgment as very sound by any standard.
He added, “We shouldn’t take things personally. If you listened carefully to the judgment, the judgment was very sound by any objective and supported with facts, with cases.”
Hon Gbajabiamila continued, “The president is a democrat, he has always extended his hands of fellowship.
“He’s always done that he will continue to do that, and will continue to do so on his behalf. Governance is about everybody. It’s not about a party. It’s not about an individual. If we do not come together now. then we’ll have ourselves to blame.
“The elections are over. Litigation is over. All litigation has come to an end. Now’s the time for governments; distractions are over. So yes, Mr. President, the APC and all right-thinking members of society must come together no matter what party you belong to, to address the issue of governance.”
