The newly elected president-elect, Bola Tinubu, advised newly elected governors and lawmakers on Tuesday to embrace their detractors and supporters to create a unified Nigeria, Entrepreneurng report.
Tinubu congratulated the victorious candidates in the State Houses of Assembly and governorship elections held on Saturday, but he also urged both winners and losers to start the mending process.
The former governor of Lagos State claims that the election is essential to the development and maintenance of democracy and democratic government at the state level.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
In a statement on Tuesday, Tinubu stated that strengthening democratic governance at the subnational level will lead to more development and an increase in the general population’s standard of living.
The President-elect asked the recently elected politicians to start the mending process and welcome their rivals in the polls to guarantee that the masses benefit from democracy’s and good governance’s benefits.
The elections have already ended. The people have chosen the governors and state lawmakers who will represent them during the ensuing four years. This is the time for leadership and governance.
In a democracy, the majority would have its way, but that majority must not stifle the minority’s ability to express itself. We must defend free speech as democratic citizens. Both losers and winners should have a big heart for tolerance and respect for the greater good of the country. Winners must be gracious.
As the elected, we must dedicate ourselves to serving the people if we hope to justify their confidence in us and the mandate placed in our hands. To improve the lives of the masses, we must all labor diligently and honestly.
We have no other responsibility as elected officials than to carry the burdens of the people and see that they live better lives than we promised them during the campaigns.
However, we need to act quickly to bring together all of the people, even those who supported us in the election. By accepting opposing viewpoints and those who support them, we must promote the healing process.
The time for politics is over, as I’ve said before. This is the time for nation-building, a task that involves more than one person or one group of people in society. Every single hand, from wherever it may be, needs to be on deck.
I’m prepared to collaborate with you all as your president. When we come together in a shared commitment to the advancement of our fortunate nation and our cherished people, I will be a trustworthy partner you can rely on.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
The former governor of Lagos also denounced what he called physical and verbal abuse during the elections, calling the actions intolerable and at odds with the democratic culture.
He declared, “Elections should not be times of sorrow, but rather a celebration of our advancing democracy and freedom of choice. I find it very upsetting when I hear reports of ethnic slurs that can lead to needless mischaracterization.
“I’m appealing for us to put aside our differences, which are less numerous than the important threads that unite us as a nation regardless of the circumstances of our birth.”
In conclusion, as the former governor of Lagos State, I can vouch for the power of our unity and diversity. I hope to infuse national administration with the inclusiveness we fostered in Lagos as your next president so that we can all realize our potential as a nation.
Source: punch
