By Adeyemi Adeleye
Lagos, Oct. 27, 2023
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has advised President Bola Tinubu to seek Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi’s blueprints to expedite nation-building process.
The South-West Zonal Secretary of SDP, Mr. Femi Olaniyi, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Lagos, against the backdrop of the Supreme Court verdict on Thursday.
Olaniyi noted that Tinubu needed ideas from his challengers, PDP’s Abubakar and Labour Party (LP)’s Obi, to bring hope to the Nigerian masses.
While congratulating Tinubu, he said that with adequate counsels, the Nigeria of everyone’s dreams would be realised.
“There is no time for excuses at all. Tinubu should start welcoming more ideas, in fact, from all serious contestants for the number one seat in the country.
“The President should seek advice and ideas from Atiku Abubakar of PDP and Mr Peter Obi of LP, since they both wanted to rule because of the suffering masses and to reshape the country,” he said.
Olaniyi, however, urged Atiku and Obi, in the nation’s interest, to be ready to lend Tinubu ideas that would make Nigeria compete favourably well in the comity of nations.
“We should forget politics now as true leaders and citizens. Election has come and gone and the apex court has given its verdict.
”All the presidential aspirants should work together and be part of this government for the sake of the future of this country.
“It is not compulsory for them to be directly part of Tinubu’s government but with ideas and advice, a new story can be written of Nigeria soon,” he said.
He also urged all stakeholders to see the project of Nigeria as everyone’s business and not President Tinubu’s.
According to him, with the apex court verdict, all issues affecting governance and policy-making have now been resolved.
“Now that Tinubu has his mandate secured fully, he should run and make the economy bounce back and reduce inflation.
“There is much relief for him (Tinubu) to squarely focus on governance and nation-building. This is now the time for the president to buckle up,” he said.
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the appeals made by the presidential candidates of PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), challenging Tinubu’s victory in the Feb. 25 election.
The Supreme Court, in the lead verdict delivered by Justice John Okoro, affirmed the election of Tinubu as Nigeria’s president in the 2023 general election.