Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Fred Eze and Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Presidency has called on members and supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to measure their words and be humble in victory, in order not to jeopardise the party’s chances in the the March 9 gubernatorial and house of assemblies elections.
Presidential Liaison Officer to the National Assembly (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, made the appeal while fielding questions from State House Correspondents, yesterday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had, on February 16 postponed had rescheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections to Saturday, February 23, while the governorship, State Houses of Assembly and Federal Capital Territory Area Council polls, earlier fixed for March 2, would now be conducted on Saturday, March 9.
The chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, attributed the decision to logistics reasons.
He said: “What we, as a government and a people, should do is to ensure our statements, actions, celebrations and reactions to those who lost should be tempered, temperate, measured, humble and such that are not capable of inciting the other party to anger.
“What we should also do, all of us in government, all those who have won as senators, members of the House of Representatives and our followers in the party is to speak less and work more to bring about unity and integration of those who have lost.
“The real winners in this election are the Nigerian voters; and we are conscious that about 11 million people voted for the other party, while 15 million voted for our party.
We will take steps to know the aspirations of those who voted there, what were their considerations? What did they want government to do? We will take that up and do.
“I’ll advise that the governorship candidates and the House of Assembly candidates, who are going in for the elections should, also, measure their campaign words and maintain peace better than was maintained in the presidential and national assembly elections.
“This election is closer to the people in the grassroots and tempers are likely to be higher, so they should measure their campaign actions and speeches.
Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the defeat of Senate President, Bukola Saraki and People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in last Saturday’s elections in Kwara State marked the successful liberation of Kwara people from the grip of crippling hegemony.
He said the electoral victory would herald socioeconomic freedom and political emancipation of the people, particularly, in their choice of political leaders, rather than imposition of same.
The minister, who was hosted to victory reception by ministry officials, at Radio House, Abuja, yesterday, gave the credit for the liberation of Kwara to the people of the state, who, he said, despite efforts to compromise them, refused to sell their votes.
“In addition to that, a simple slogan, O to gee (Enough is enough), succinctly captured the determination of the people, to vote those who had held them down for decades.
“Overall, the government has done more with less resources. It is also restoring decency and integrity to governance. Expectedly, more would be done in the next four years to better the life of Nigerians,” he said.
Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the re-election of president Buhari is what the country truly deserve.
Onyeama also said it was important that the president was re-elected, in order for him to complete the various programmes and projects he started.
Onyeama, in a statement by his media aide, Sarah Sanda, further said it would have been a real travesty for the country, had the results been otherwise, stressing that clearly, it would have taken the country back many years.
“So, we are really grateful that the president has won to enable him consolidate and build on what he has started out to do,” he said.
Onyeama further said it is really important that the country takes off on a very firm base that would ensure and sustain the country in the areas of infrastructure, particularly power.