(From left): INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu presenting the CoR to Asiwaju Tinubu of the APC as the wife, Senator Remi Tinubu watches, at the presentation ceremony in Abuja
Tinubu sets up committee to reconcile with Atiku, Obi, others
President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has set up a committee to reconcile with other presidential candidates who contested last Saturday’s February 25 presidential elections with him.
According to the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who disclosed this, Thursday, the constitution of the committee is ‘to start the healing process.’
Governor Akeredolu further disclosed that the committee comprises elders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who ‘would soon begin to meet with co-contestants of the President-elect in a bid to assuage their loss in the just concluded Presidential Election.’
It would recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), last Wednesday, declared the ruling APC’s candidate, Tinubu as winner of the Saturday, February 25 Presidential elections contested by 17 other candidates.
According to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Tinubu of the APC had 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who had 6,984,520 votes in the election, while Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) followed in third position with 6,101,533 votes, with Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) garnering 1,496,687 votes.
However, despite allegations of irregularities from local and international election observer groups, in addition to rejection of result by opposition political parties and other stakeholders in the country, Akeredolu, in the statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, maintained that last Saturday’s presidential election ‘was not padded.’
“The President-elect has set up committees to meet with the gentlemen who contested in the election for us to start the healing process.
“I belong to one of the committees. We are going to meet them and appeal to them so that we can work together,” Akeredolu said.
LP’s Obi has already vowed to challenge the electoral process which produced Tinubu in court.
Addressing a World Press Conference in Abuja, Thursday, Obi said the mandate given to the Labour Party by he people must be reclaimed peacefully.
“The election that we just witnessed had been conducted and results announced as programmed; As we were promised.
This election did not meet the minimum standard expected of a free, transparent, credible fair election.
“It may go down as one of the most controversial elections ever conducted in Nigeria. The good and hardworking people of Nigeria have again been robbed by our supposed leaders who they trusted,” Obi said.
