Like many other Nigerians, I do not belong to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and so, did not vote for President Bola Tinubu and his party, but I know that many other Nigerians voted for the APC. Of course, it cannot be denied that a lot of things went wrong during the processes of the 2023 presidential election, but this was envisaged by the 2022 Electoral Act and even the constitution. Hence, the provisions for pre and post-election petitions as well as Election Petition Tribunals or courts.
The efforts of Nigeria’s former Vice- president and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and that of the former Governor of Anambra State and 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, in fully exploiting both the electoral and the legal processes in their respective aspirations to lead Nigeria deserve great appreciation, but the truth is that having gotten to the end, they have to accept the verdict of the final court in the land.
Having, in their respective aspirations to lead Nigeria, traversed the electioneering campaigns through the general elections to the judicial system up till the Supreme Court; I congratulate them for their prized contributions to the Nigerian project so far. There is no denying that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi have changed the narratives of the Nigerian electioneering campaigns, created tremendous political awareness and enriched the election petition case law in Nigeria.
These efforts will yield great results over time and Atiku and Obi should beat their respective chests for these great achievements. Like Paula D’Arcy counselled in her ‘Songs for Sarah’, I wish to hereby remind them that there is no use taunting with impossibilities as obtaining what is possible is sufficient victory. Atiku and Obi should accept the fact that their respective 2023 presidential bids did not succeed, and that that of President Bola Tinubu succeeded!
It is important that they drive this given state of affairs home to their respective supporters, especially as it does not mean that they will not succeed next time. The Supreme Court of Nigeria is the apex court and having resolved all the petitions in favour of Alhaji Bola Tinubu, Tinubu has unassailably become the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It does not matter if any person or group of persons, including Atiku and Obi, disagreed with the Supreme Court. One of the frankest autochthonous maxims of jurisprudence as regards the infallibility of the Supreme Court in Nigeria was espoused by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa of blessed memory and it holds that the Supreme Court is final not because it is infallible, but it is infallible because it is final!
When one ponders this trite submission, one will appreciate that the concept of the infallibility of the Nigerian Supreme Court was an intentional and not a perfect design which objective was to protect and preserve both the social contract and the corporate existence of Nigeria. Opposing the verdict of the Supreme Court on anything is tantamount to threatening the Nigerian social contract and promoting anarchy. In a way, the concept of the infallibility of the Nigerian Supreme Court drives home the finitude of humanity to whoever might be driven by ambition or emotion to believe that he or she was indispensable in Nigeria.
With due respect to the duo of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, they, like many other Nigerians, are great personalities who have served Nigeria well in various capacities and can still do that outside the presidential office. They can bring their rich experiences, ideas and contacts to bear on the Tinubu presidency for the sake of their respective supporters who are also victims of Nigeria’s failed leadership.
At this point, I wish to congratulate Alhaji Bola Tinubu (GCFR), President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I hereby charge President Tinubu to make his administration supportable by being magnanimous in victory. I heard Tinubu announce his readiness to work with the opposition, but the presidential silence over the attacks on and destruction of investments of people who did not support APC in Lagos and elsewhere is as disheartening as it is ‘unpresidential’!
President Tinubu should go beyond his present programme of alms giving chris- tened cash transfer and tackle the multifaceted economic hardships that dog the lives of Nigerian citizens. He should tackle security issues by weeding out infiltrators who found their ways into the security forces through the reckless recruitments of so- called repentant or de-radicalised bandits like we have seen in the Kano State police recruitment which might not be isolated.
The Tinubu administration should spread its arms to all Nigerians and encourage the upgrade and legalisation of “illegal” refineries to rejig local fuel supply. The vast solar energy potentials of the country should be radically explored to strengthen local industries and create jobs for our teeming youths. In conclusion, I sue that all Nigerians, including people like me who did not vote for President Tinubu, should sheath their political differences and support President Tinubu in the interest of our country – Nigeria.
