Nigeria needs a good government, not one based on national unity, says Tinubu.

• Atiku and Obi’s legal actions are good for democracy, says the president-elect, who backs the Supreme Court on the naira.

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the new president-elect, put an end to hopes for a government of national unity on Thursday by saying that competence is more important than such a political arrangement.

He said that his goal was more important than a government of national unity, and that he would rather choose his cabinet members based on their ability to do their jobs than on their religion.

Tinubu spoke in a signed statement on Thursday called “Nigeria: At the Cusp of Renewed Hope.” This was his first official statement since the Independent National Electoral Commission announced on March 1 that he was the next president.

The candidate for president from the party in power, the All Progressives Congress, got 8,794,726 votes to beat Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.

Abubakar and Obi, who came in second and third in the election, are both going to court to challenge the results. They are not going to accept Tinubu’s offer of peace. Some Nigerians, on the other hand, thought about forming a government of national unity to stop the fighting over the election results.

In a statement, the president-elect talked to Nigerians about the problem. He said, “As your incoming president, I accept the task at hand. A government of national unity has been talked about. My goal is more important than that. I want a government that can run the country well. When I choose my government, I won’t let things other than ability and performance get in the way. It’s been a long time since politicians played games. I will bring together smart men, women, and young people from all over Nigeria to build a safer, wealthier, and more fair country. Young people will be there. Women should stand out. Whether you pray in a church or a mosque won’t affect where you work in government. “Character and skills will.”

Some people also had problems with the way the presidential election was run, and the ex-governor of Lagos State said that upset candidates have the right to go to court. He also said that a fair and credible poll was held and won.

He said, “A fair election that can be trusted has been held and won. I have the honor of that victory and the heavy responsibility that comes with it. I don’t say this to brag or show off, because there’s no room for that. I just tell things like they are. I know that a lot of good Nigerians voted for other candidates. Their favorite candidate didn’t win, so they are, of course, upset. Other candidates have said they are unhappy and will go to court to challenge the election results. This is a part of how democracy works. We stand up for their right to go to court. While they use the legal rights that our democracy gives them, I have set my sights on being in charge of this country. We have important work to do, and I’m committed to doing it for the good of everyone, whether they voted for me or didn’t vote at all.”

Tinubu said that now was not the time for continued fighting and blame-shifting between parties. He also said that bad things could make people angry, but they were not the way to make the country better.

The president-elect said, “This can only be done with unity and national commitment. Critics of Nigeria have been too quick to say that our political system is broken up because new parties and candidates have done well. They are wrong. The fact that new parties and candidates are being formed shows how strong and flexible our democracy is. People want democracy to work and for their voices to be heard and their needs to be met within it. This is something that should be pushed, not something that people should be afraid of,”

He said that what Nigerians should worry about is not the growth of parties, but the return of old prejudices and bigotries based on things like race, religion, and place of origin.

He said that Nigerians were better than this because they loved God and their neighbors. He also said that at some point, the people would have to decide if they would be tempted by the bad things of the past or if they would be more brave and noble if they were encouraged by the prospect of a better future.

“There have been times in our history when our government institutions raised more questions than they answered,” the president-elect said. But the way our government has changed over time gives me hope that we can get past this. We walked through the darkest part of the night to get to the light of tomorrow. There’s no reason to go back to the dark times of the past.

Rebuilding a country

He called for the nation to be fixed and rebuilt, saying, “We must start fixing and rebuilding this national home of ours. There is still time to finish the job, but time is of the essence. We can’t waste time or worry about how hard things are. We can use both our minds and bodies. Now, we need to have the courage and determination to do the historic things that are within our reach.”

He said that keeping Nigeria safe and making it prosperous should be the top priorities. He also said that Nigerians couldn’t give up on these goals for political reasons, and that political whims should come second to the needs of governance.

Tinubu said, “We need to build bridges and roads not just for business and travel, but also to bring people of different faiths, parties, and points of view together for peaceful dialogue and a common goal.” We need to feed families, not just to get rid of hunger, but also to promote education, civic responsibility, and kindness. We need to create jobs not just to give people something to do, but also to give people a better standard of living, which helps families and communities and makes democracy stronger. We can get more water not only to quench our physical thirst, but also to make us thirsty for new and better ways to solve society’s problems. We need to protect our country so that danger and even the fear of danger are gone. May all of our people be able to live in peace and growing prosperity.”

Economic plans

The president-elect also agreed with the Supreme Court’s decision to let the old N200, N500, and N1000 notes stay legal until December 31. This ended the naira crisis disaster that had been going on for a long time.

The Supreme Court told the Central Bank of Nigeria that the old naira notes were still valid, but Godwin Emefiele, who was in charge of the Central Bank of Nigeria, went ahead with a redesign of the naira notes anyway. This caused bank customers to be upset and have a hard time.

Tinubu said that the Supreme Court’s decision on the value of old and new notes was an important step toward restoring economic normalcy. He added, “This restores both the rule of law and economic decency. But the story doesn’t end here. It is just the start of a more complete plan to fix our economic problems.”

He also said that his party’s “Renewed Hope Action Plan” had goals for more economic growth in both cities and rural areas, as well as a commitment to a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of at least 10%.

“We are committed to an economy with a GDP growth in the double digits, more food security, a stronger manufacturing base, and a thriving digital economy where young people have plenty of room to pursue their dreams and goals. I know that I am just a tool for something bigger. Because of this, I went straight to work. My team and I have been daily engaged in discussions and meetings refining our ideas and policy solutions so that we can begin actively working toward the common good the very first day we assume office. We are all called to this great project called Nigeria,” he said.

Tinubu asked Nigerians to work together for the country’s good. He told those who voted for him to keep believing in his party’s plans and policies for the country and to reach out to their brothers and sisters who didn’t vote the same way they did.

He said, “Extend the hand of friendship, peace, and unity to them. Those of you who didn’t vote for me, I ask you to believe in Nigeria and in the abilities of your fellow citizens, even those who voted differently than you. I don’t just want a better Nigeria for myself and my supporters. It is just as much yours. I don’t want you to change how you feel about politics. That wouldn’t be good for democracy. I beg you to be the loyal opposition and answer the call of patriotic duty.

“Remain loyal to the cause of a greater, more tolerant and just Nigeria. I, too, will stay true to this goal. If we all do what we’re supposed to, we can start to rebuild our national home together, day by day, brick by brick, no matter how different we are politically. As a result, we will all share in the victory of national progress. The success of democracy in our country will be credited to each and every one of you. This is the right way for things to be. This is our country, Nigerians. Now is our time. We dare not waste it. We also don’t back down to accept a less-than-perfect version of ourselves and our shared future.”

He said that the country could no longer just call itself the “giant of Africa.” Instead, he said, Nigeria should focus on doing the big, important things that only a giant could do.

Tinubu promised that as the people’s new president-elect, he would do everything he could to make this happen.

He added, “I call upon you to come bravely forth as well, not for me but out of abiding love of country and for the people who inhabit it with you. We’re a lot better than we used to be. Now is the time to be strong and believe in what this country can become. I, for one, am going to stand. But this time, I won’t be the last person or the only one left. Think about how great we could be if more than 200 million people stood with me. Let the world see that Nigeria is unstoppable.”

LP and NNPP answer

Yunusa Tanko, the Chief Spokesman for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, said that the party wasn’t even interested in a government of national unity in response to Tinubu’s statement.

Legal battle

Tanko said that the party was currently going to court to challenge the voting process.

He asked, “How can Tinubu talk about a fake election that everyone all over the world is angry about?” To us, it is about challenging and correcting the process. As we talk, what we’re saying is that we in the LP are questioning the process. By infraction, we are telling Bola Tinubu’s presidency that it is being built in a way that no one should agree to. Even Tinubu shouldn’t have agreed to it because he knew that the process was allegedly manipulated.

He also said that the late President Umaru Yar’Adua had said that the election that put him in office was not fair and that he would fix it.

Tanko said, “So, the Electoral Act has been changed, and billions of naira have been spent to make sure we have a technologically advanced process that has been proven in some state elections, only to be undermined at the presidential election.” That shouldn’t be allowed. As far as we’re concerned, we’ll keep challenging the process until we get our mandate.”

Also, Ladipo Johnson, the spokesman for the New Nigerian Peoples Party Presidential Campaign Council, said that Tinubu may have been named president-elect, but the party thought that the process was being looked at in court.

Johnson Even so, it is his right and the right of his party and supporters to do whatever they want, no matter what they call it. That might happen if the court lets him keep going.

He said, “Nigeria is in a complicated situation right now. We were already split before the election, and I’d go so far as to say that the election has made us even more divided than before. There is a quiet tension that runs through the country, and I pray that God will give all of our leaders the wisdom they need to run this country. We just hope that Saturday’s election for governor will go smoothly.”

But Debo Ologunagba, who is the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, told our reporter that the PDP would respond to what Tinubu said.

He said, “You know that our party doesn’t just wake up and start to act because someone said something. We will look at what was said.

“We’ll take our time to answer. “As a party, we’ll look at the situation as a whole,” he said.

(TNT)

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