The Villa was as busy as bees after the Supreme Court affirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory yesterday.
Political leaders, associates, governors and Villa Staff members felicitated the President.
Among the early callers to the Villa to felicitate with the President were Governors Douye Diri (Bayelsa); Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa); Dapo Abiodun; Kogi (Ogun); Yahaya Bello (Kogi); and Hyacinth Alia (Benue). All of them elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), except Diri who is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members.
There were also APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike; former Delta State governor, James Ibori; the Managing Director of Sahara Energy, Mr Kola Adesina; and Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Ohanenye.
Also seen at the Villa were the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi; Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas after his visit, said;
“I think this time around, after this pronouncement, we have no excuse, but to go back to business as usual, to go back and reset our agenda and see what we can do for the people on Nigeria for the next three and a half or four years.”
The Speaker added,
“they should take heart, there is always one victor at a time, this is Asiwaju’s time, they should all take heart, come and join hands with him, so that we move Nigeria to a greater level.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu said,
“We must have a clear direction on how to get all hands on deck to get the economy of Nigeria on track, let us put whatever differences, political or otherwise, aside and let us rally round this administration for the benefit of Nigerians because at the end of the day we all want food on our table, we all want good roads, the food is not for a particular party, the road is not for a particular party it is for all Nigerians and that should be our concept going forward.
“All that is behind us and I can imagine that he has also run as much as possible an inclusive sense of govt. I want to wish Me President all the best, I want to congratulate the judiciary and all of us and say to every Nigerians that it is time for us to roll off our sleeves”.
Governor Bello said,
“All the jobs they have done have been affirmed by the Supreme Court today and I’m confident that in the Kogi election, more successes will be recorded by INEC, by the good people of Kogi state and of course, APC is poised to win with landslide and massive votes in the upcoming election, based on our performance and the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President”.
Governor Abiodun said,
“More importantly, by this judgment, the Supreme Court has also put to rest a lot of issues that will now become precedents in law. I’m sure that some other cases where either appeals have been filed at the appellate level or the Supreme Court, will probably be withdrawn”, he said.
He, however, expressed the view that the opposition figures who challenged President Tinubu’s victory in court now have to show that they mean well for the country from the outset by either going to sleep or congratulate and support the President.
“If that opportunity does not present itself for you now and the courts and people have chosen who they want, if you really do mean well for the country, what you need to do is congratulate that person, join hands with that person to ensure that what you want to do is achieved, that the common man gets the best of governance”.
Governor Alia said,
“It is quite exciting because now we are going to move ahead. I know that our president has great plans for the nation and particularly in my state and I will not want us to miss out on that at all.
“His victory is not just a victory for the nation but those of us who are not on the same page for growth and development as it is intended. It is a larger victory for all of us. These (Justices) are people who are meticulous with the books.
“Today is a blessing for Nigeria that our sitting president carries the day. Please, let us all join hands with him to take our nation to higher heights because he has not just the potential, he has already started exhibiting what will bring our further growth.”
He added,
“The highest court, the Supreme Court, spoke loud and clear that mandate was freely given. That is what we want in this country.
“We want stability, we don’t want distraction. The president has taken off beautifully and he has the interest of the people at heart. So far, the choices he’s making are tough but at the end of the day, they will make for a better tomorrow. So, we are very happy with what has happened today, Nigerians are celebrating”, he said.
Secretary to Government of the Federation. George Akume, noted that the victory was a revalidation of the mandate which the Nigerian people gave him.
“It is a revalidation of the mandate which the Nigerian people gave him and our electoral process also involves the judicial process. The people spoke loud and clear, some people were aggrieved, reasons they went to the court to the judiciary
“The highest court, the Supreme Court spoke loud and clear that that mandate was freely given. That is what we want in this country.
“We want stability, we don’t want distraction, the President has taken off beautifully and he has the interest of the people at heart. So far the choices he’s making are tough but at the end of the day, they will make for a better tomorrow so we are very happy on what has happened today, Nigerians are celebrating.”
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, has enjoined opposition parties that challenged President Tinubu’s victory in court to see the Supreme Court affirmation on Thursday as victory for everyone, including them.
He said the opposition should regard the development as case of “no victor, no vanquished”.
“My message to the opposition is they should take this victory as a victory for all of us, including them, because what it is. There is no victor and no vanquished.
“Since the Supreme Court has decided and is the highest echelon of judiciary in this country and they have decided, though one of them (defeated candidate) said he’s appealing to God, we are all appealing to them to go for the right direction, where prosperity and hope will be renewed for all of us”, he said.
President Bola Tinubu, in an elated mood, while receiving his staff members assured them that their jobs are secure.
