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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has condemned what he described as isolated cases of infractions, ethnic slurs and violence that characterised the 2023 general elections, saying the healing process must begin now that the elections are over.
Tinubu in a statement he personally signed on Tuesday and made available to newsmen in Abuja, said he would run an inclusive government like he did while serving as governor of Lagos State when he finally to assume power on May 29.
He called on all elected officials to take urgent steps to unite the people and champion the healing process.
“My appeal is for us to rise above our differences, which, in reality, are fewer than the valued strings that bind us together as a people irrespective of the circumstances of our births.
“I will give priority to expanding the civic space and safeguarding citizens’ freedom to exercise their rights within the bounds of the law.
“Indeed, the elections are over. The people have voted to elect their governors and state legislators that will serve them for the next four years. The time for leadership and governance is now upon us.
“In a democracy, majority would have their way but that majority must not suppress the minority from having their say. As democrats, we have to safeguard free expression. Winners must be magnanimous and those who did not win should have a large heart for tolerance and respect for the greater interest of the nation.
“We must take urgent steps to unite the people; those who voted for us and those who did not. We must champion the healing process by embracing the opponents and their supporters. As I have stated previously, the time for politicking is gone. This is time for nation building, a task beyond one individual or a section of the society. We need every hand from wherever it may come to be on deck,” he said.
Your call for reconciliation smacks Of hypocrisy- Atiku
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has described Tinubu’s call for healing “after a violent election as the height of hypocrisy.”
Atiku, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described Tinubu’s statement as an after-thought and hypocritical garbage.
He said that Tinubu was talking about reconciliation after his minions allegedly attacked Igbo voters in Lagos in order to give his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) advantage during the governorship election.
Shaibu said transport hooligans, politicians and even traditional leaders in Lagos who were seen on videos threatening non-indigenes were being protected.
“Tinubu’s latest statement is laced with hypocrisy and lies. For a whole month, traditional leaders, transport hooligans and politicians threatened non-indigenes but Tinubu kept mute. His lackey, MC Oluomo, who is a member of his presidential campaign council, was seen on video threatening Igbo people but Tinubu said nothing. His campaign spokesmen, Bayo Onanuga and Femi Fani-Kayode, went on social media to warn Igbo people but Tinubu looked the other way.
“Traditional rulers imposed curfews and went about slaughtering goats and placing them in front of polling units but Tinubu said nothing. A traditional leader and council chairman in Gbara community, Eti Osa Local Government summoned non-indigenes to a meeting where they threatened non-indigenes with eviction if they failed to vote for the APC but Tinubu said nothing. Those invited by the police ignored invitations.
“On the day of election, many people who looked Igbo were beaten and prevented from voting but Tinubu kept mute. Now that the election is over, he has found his voice and is preaching reconciliation. He should tell that to the marines. If Tinubu is serious, he should ensure that all those found culpable are arrested and prosecuted. But we know he cannot do this because he is their godfather,” he said.
He, however, commended the United States Government for condemning the outbreak of violence during the election.
Shaibu also described the statement by the US Embassy in Nigeria condemning the violence as a welcome development.
He, however, noted that the US ought to have gone further by mentioning the names of those found culpable and exposing the identities of those it will hit with visa restrictions.
“We commend the US and the EU governments for condemning the violence and intimidation that marred the governorship election, especially in Lagos.
“But the US knows the identities of the perpetrators of violence and ought to have mentioned their names. MC Oluomo is an American citizen. The US must also go further by mentioning the names of others including the traditional rulers in Lagos who were complicit.
“The US has in the past openly condemned Vladmir Putin of Russia and others found wanting in other countries. This is not the time for political correctness. Those who will be slammed with visa bans should be named and shamed,” Shaibu said.
Shaibu maintained that there could be no reconciliation without restitution, adding that anything short of this would not heal any wounds.
He further argued that Tinubu had shown from his electioneering that he had no plan to unite Nigeria but was only after one power.
“Tinubu is only after power. Before he took over power, Lagos was known for its urbane and accommodating nature. The late Nnamdi Azikiwe built his political base and business empire in Lagos.
“Mbonu Ojike, born in Imo State, was the Deputy Mayor of Lagos in 1951. Many others from around the country and beyond built businesses and political careers in Lagos unmolested. But on Bola Tinubu’s watch, Lagos has become an intolerant state where non-indigenes are openly beaten on election day and threatened with eviction if they don’t vote for his party. Now he seeks reconciliation? What a joke! There will be no reconciliation until MC Oluomo and all his minions who took part in issuing threats and brutalising people are diligently prosecuted,” he added.