By Ayo Yusuf
Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has congratulated President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima over their victory at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal which affirmed that the All Progressives Congress won the Presidential Election of February 25, 2023.
The court had on Wednesday thrown out the petitions of the People Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party and its candidate Peter Obi, in a 12-hour judgment upholding the election of President Bola Tinubu.
Both Atiku and Obi had rejected the court’s judgment, vowing to approach the Supreme Court.
In a statement on Saturday via his verified Facebook account, Mr. Osinbajo stated that the Tribunal ruling was a great victory for Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and the rule of law.
The statement reads: “Congratulations to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, and our great party, the All Progressives Congress, on the judicial affirmation of the victory at the presidential election of February 25, 2023.
“This ruling is a great victory for Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and its rule of law.
“The practice of democracy in our nation has been further strengthened by the fact that all parties faithfully followed the electoral process according to the law and relied on our courts in the event of a dispute.”
He added that President Tinubu and his administration now needed Nigerians to come together and work as one to achieve a common goal.
“Our nation now needs all of us to work together to address our challenges and to deliver the realisation of the incredible potential of our nation”, he said.
Diaspora Nigerians Pleased
Similarly, Nigerians residing in the United Kingdom, under the Association of Nigerian Professionals in the UK, have hailed Wednesday’s judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal which upheld the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria.
The group in a statement jointly signed by its Coordinator, Innocent Udoidiong and Secretary-General, Kingsley Omole, on Friday, urged the petitioners to respect the Tribunal’s verdict. It said any appeal would be a distraction to the president who is already saddled with the responsibility of salvaging the country’s current economic crisis caused by the removal of oil subsidy.
The statement reads “The verdict by the tribunal is a confirmation that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was overwhelmingly elected by a majority of Nigerians who genuinely love him.
“Going to appeal at the Supreme Court is a distraction to the president and his cabinet who should be allowed to tinker ways to salvage the nation’s current economic crisis occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal”.
The group also solicited the support of Nigerians for the success of President Tinubu’s full term in office and assured them that they would not be disappointed.
