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On Monday, May 29, 2023, President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, will be sworn in to begin a new administration as President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo leave the stage after the completion of their two terms of eight years in office.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Tinubu of All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the 2023 presidential election held on February 25 after gathering a total of 8,794,726 votes, the highest in the contest, and scoring more than 25 per cent of the votes cast in 30 states, over and above the constitutionally required 24 states.
Atiku Abukakar of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with a total votes of 6,984,520. The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, polled 6,101,533 votes to place third, while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) took fourth with 1,496,687 votes.
While Kwankwaso has apparently accepted the outcome of the presidential poll in good faith and was even said to be considering working with Tinubu’s administration for the progress of Nigeria, Atiku and Obi are in the tribunal challenging the election results, with the belief that the voting process was manipulated by INEC in favour of the APC’s candidate.
However, supporters of the incoming President have continued to insist that the election was convincingly won fair and square by the former Lagos State Governor. They do not see anything coming out of the petitions at the tribunal to upturn what they called “the well-deserved victory of Tinubu at the polls.” For the admirers of the man popularly known as Jagaban, a quintessential leader and notable politician, what they see is a renewed hope for a better Nigeria, believing strongly that his administration will make a difference in the governance of the country.
In one of his statements after emerging President-elect, Tinubu whose campaign slogan was ‘Renewed Hope’ had remarked that “Our Renewed Hope Action Plan outlines goals for greater economic growth in our cities and rural communities. We are committed to an economy of double-digit GDP growth, greater food security and one with a strengthened manufacturing base, as well as an active digital economy where young people will have ample space to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.”
He further pointed out that “To secure our nation and to make it prosperous must be our top priorities. We cannot sacrifice these goals to political expediencies. The whims of politics must take a backseat to the imperatives of governance.
“We have bridges and roads to build not just for commerce and travel but to connect people of different faiths, parties and different outlooks in harmonious dialogue and common purpose. We have families to feed, not just to eliminate hunger but to nurture enlightenment, civic responsibility and compassion. We have jobs to create, not merely to put people to work but to afford all a better standard of living by which families and communities are improved and democracy deepened. We have water to replenish, not just to quench physical thirst but to ignite a thirst for creative and better solutions to society’s challenges. We have a nation to protect, such that we eliminate danger and even the fear of danger.”
One Nigerian that has consistently held the view that Tinubu will not disappoint Nigeria based on his past records of public service is the former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
The legal luminary is of the conviction that Tinubu’s administration will meet Nigerians’ expectations, maintaining that he has what it takes to offer good governance and make the country a better place for all and sundry.
Stressing the need for Nigerians to rally round the incoming President when a group, Progressives Advisory Forum For Good Governance, PAFOGG led by Mr. Nwosu Emmanuel, recently paid him a visit in his Abuja office, the ex-Chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), remarked: “He (Tinubu) has the antecedent. He has the background. I have no doubt. But he has to be encouraged. He has to be helped by all of us who supported his emergence and even those who do not support it. He has to be helped in every way possible to meet the very tall expectations of Nigerians. Part of meeting the expectations is being fair and just to every section of the country.”
The ex-Senate Leader in an interview said: “We are moving into the new dispensation with renewed hope, which is the mantra of the incoming President, that things will get better, that Nigerians will feel better in every aspect of their national life. Whether it is security, economy or opportunities; and that we will begin to feel like Nigerians once again. That we will have a country where tribe or religion will not make any difference. Therefore, as we go into the new dispensation, we do so with that natural tendency of having renewed hope.”
Deputy Governor of Gombe State between 1999 and 2003, Senator Joshua Lidani, is equally convinced that there is hope for a better Nigeria under Tinubu’s watch. Lidani, a legal practitioner who represented Gombe South Senatorial District at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly from 2011 to 2019 said in a recent media chat that he was confident that Jagaban will take meaningful and significant steps to reposition Nigeria for sustainable economic growth and development that will change the face of the country for the benefit of the populace.
Lidani said: “I have every confidence that Bola Ahmed Tinubu will deliver, looking at his track records, antecedents and history. Look at how he (Tinubu) transformed Lagos from the time he took over as the governor of Lagos State in 1999 to the time he left in 2007. How was Lagos before then and how did he leave Lagos after the expiration of his tenure as governor? So, from there you can start judging that this man is a very astute administrator. He is a good manager of men and materials. He is a consummate politician and pragmatic leader. He was able to maintain peace and calm in Lagos State. He took measures that led to a considerable increase in Lagos revenue and remarkably turned around the fortunes of the state. And others that succeeded him were able to build on the solid foundation that he laid. So, similarly, he can bring to bear on the administration of this country that experience he had while governing Lagos. Therefore, I have every confidence that he would be able to deliver. As a thoroughbred politician, he knows how to manage, handle and judge people. That is the element that is very crucial for any politician to succeed in governance, especially the presidency of Nigeria. So, I think Tinubu has all it takes to give Nigeria the best of governance.”
He further gave the assurance that “The incoming administration of Tinubu and Shettima will bring in a fresh breath of air into the country. We’ve had previous administrations and in each administration we had expectations. But each time these expectations were not really met. But this time around I think we have hope, because we are seeing an administration that consists of an astute leader, who is the President-elect and also an able lieutenant that is the Vice President-elect. These people have track records and outstanding achievements to their names. And I believe they will bring it to bear in the administration of this country. These are people that have been tested and proven to be very capable, competent and patriotic leaders who have the interest of this country at heart. I think Nigerians should be hopeful that they will deliver on their campaign promises and then entrench peace and unity which has been a problem in the past.”
Mrs. Fatimat Olufunke Raji-Rasaki is the wife of former military governor of Ogun, Ondo and Lagos States sequentially between 1986 and 1991, retired Brigadier General Raji Alagbe Rasaki.
A former lawmaker in the Upper Chamber of the Federal Legislature, she averred in a statement that Tinubu’s administration will unlock the growth potential of the country to advance Nigeria’s economy.
According to her, “The Nigerian people made the choice of a selfless statesman, a man of honour and a go-getter. Tinubu has all it takes to take Nigeria out of the woods.
“This is the time to stand as one. The more we fight, the less peace we will have among us. The time has come for all well-meaning Nigerians to wake up to the responsibility of building a nation, safer, stronger and prosperous for our children.
“The incoming administration is up to the task of giving back to the electorate, the yearnings for quick repositioning. I want to assure you that Tinubu’s administration will unlock Nigeria’s growth potential with new economic policies.”
She added that “He (Tinubu) is a good leader that understands how to open the great possibilities of Nigeria in line with global realities and using tools and resources that work to lift Nigeria from its economic quagmire. The incoming administration will be public and private sectors driven.
“Tinubu has a track record of working with transformational leaders. Under his leadership, Nigeria will have leaders that create visions. Highly skilled individuals will be injected to run the economy of Nigeria. These steps will ensure a great nation devoid of rancour and instability.”
Michael Jegede, a journalist writes from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja
