Tinubu reacts to Supreme Court victory by appealing to Atiku and Obi to work with him

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has reached out to his political opponents Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi asking them to join hands with him to help move Nigeria forward in the light of today's Supreme Court judgement which affirmed him as being duly elected.

On March 1, 2023, Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) announced Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election. According to Inec,  the former Lagos State governor secured 8,794,726 votes to defeat former vice president Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who garnered 6,984,520 and Peter Obi, the former Anambra State governor of the Labour Party, who got 6,101,533 votes.

Unsatisfied with the outcome, five political parties, the PDP, Labour Party, Action Peoples Party, Allied Peoples Movement and the Action Alliance, filed separate petitions before the tribunal seeking to annul President Tinubu’s victory. However, on September 6, the Presidential Election Tribunal delivered its verdict backing the election of President Tinubu and today, the Supreme Court upheld that judgement.

Reacting to the judgement, President Tinubu called on Alhaji Abubakar and Governor Obi to collaborate with him in building Nigeria and moving the country forward. He said his victory at the Supreme Court has further energised and strengthened his commitment to serve Nigerians of all political persuasions, tribes and faiths with honour and total respect.

President Tinubu said: "I welcome the verdict of the Justice John Okoro-led panel of the Supreme Court on the presidential election petitions filed by the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party, challenging the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. The court has done justice to all issues put up for consideration in the petitions on the merits of the law, without fear or favour.

"There is no doubt, with the profound judgment of today, that our electoral jurisprudence and constitutional democracy are further consolidated and embedded more indelibly in our national identity because of the diligence and undaunted professionalism of the honourable justices who presided over the matter. While the verdict of today has laid to rest the agitating discourse over who truly won the 2023 presidential election and met the constitutional requirements as laid out by law, I want to reiterate that my faith in our nation’s judiciary has never been shaken, not even for a moment because I know that our hallowed courts of law will not fail to administer justice to all Nigerians in all matters and at all times.

"Despite the fusillade of pressure and attempts at intimidation by some political actors, the judiciary demonstrated its unequivocal commitment to upholding the rule of law for the upliftment and defence of humanity. It was affirmed once more today, that my party, the governing All Progressives’ Congress, had freely and fairly won the popular mandate of Nigerians, which has since given rise to my leadership of this great nation at a tumultuous period of unprecedented reforms in our history as a nation.

"With deep gratitude to God almighty, I solemnly and humbly accept today’s judicial victory with an intense sense of responsibility and a burning desire to meet the great challenges confronting our people. The victory of today has further energised and strengthened my commitment to continue to serve all Nigerians of all political persuasions, tribes, and faiths, with honour and total respect for the diverse opinions and uniting values of our citizens.

"Our Renewed Hope agenda for a greater and prosperous Nigeria has further gained momentum and I will continue to work from morning to night, every single day, to build a country that meets our collective yearnings and aspirations. We are all members of one household and this moment demands that we continue to work and build our country together."