…admonishes Atiku and Obi to allow the President to settle down and work
The President of Omaluegwuoku Progressive Initiative and National Convener of Igbo Kwenu for Asiwaju/Shettima, Amb. Ginika Tor has expressed her disappointment with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and his Labour Party counterpart, Mr. Peter Obi over their separate press conferences questioning the credentials and identity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who defeated them at the 2023 presidential election while calling on them to allow the President settle down and work.
Amb. Ginika Tor made this call during a press conference in Abuja by the group on the state of the nation. She stated that Atiku Abubakar is suffering from post election trauma which made him to embark on what she described as “a fishing expedition to Chicago State University on a wild goose chase” for President Bola Tinubu’s Certificate.
She further stated that Atiku’s inordinate quest to malign the integrity of the president amounted to tarnishing the image of Nigeria before the international community.
She expressed her disappointment with Mr. Peter Obi for questioning the identity of the President and demeaning the office of the President in the manner he did during his World Press Conference that took place on Wednesday.
Amb. Ginika Tor, who is the Federal Commissioner representing Enugu State at the Federal Character Commission went ahead to appeal to Nigerians to continue to show understanding and confidence in the ability of President Bola Tinubu to solve many of the economic and security problems facing the country.
She noted that the President is determined to tackle all issues affecting the country from the root instead of applying what she described as ‘cosmetic solutions’ to paper the cracks and called on the President to continue to be meticulous in transforming the national trajectory of Nigeria both in terms of economy, security and political inclusion.
Below is the full text of the press conference:
“Today, we are excited to inform you that that journey that we embarked upon last year was successfully concluded on the 25th March 2023 with the election of our principals as the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
On February 25th 2023. millions of Nigerians of voting age trooped out to the polls to elect the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They had the options to choose between 18 candidates representing 18 political parties with the obvious front-runners being Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Mr. Peter Obi of the LP and Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the NNPP. This election was adjudged to be one of the most competitive elections in our recent electoral history.
At the close of the Presidential polls, a total of 8,794,726 voters from the broad spectrum of the country chose Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu the candidate of our great party, the All Progressives Congress as the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He roundly defeated Atiku Abubakar who came second with more than 1.8 million votes representing 1.8 million Nigerians.
We are indeed pleased with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for quickly settling down to begin the task of governance and tackling the very critical issues confronting our dear country. From day one, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hit the ground running and is focused on laying the foundation and the structures necessary to deliver on his Renewed Hope agenda which he promised Nigerians during the electioneering process.
However, as the weeks went by, it became obvious that so many issues started coming out which may constitute a huge distraction on the new administration to deliver a desired Nation for all Nigerians especially the PDP Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar whom appear to still suffering from a severe post-election loss trauma and a near-presidency syndrome following his defeat at the polls on his fifth presidential contest. He suddenly realized that his dream of being President of this country which seemed so close in 2003 was again a mirage in 2023.
His post -election trauma ballooned following the unsuccessful prosecution of his brief by his legal team at the PEPT, which filed a petition lacking in substance and direction. Like someone who woke up from a terrible nightmare, Atiku commissioned a fishing expedition to Chicago State University on a wild goose chase for President Bola Tinubu’s certificate. They started by saying President Bola Tinubu did not attend CSU and when CSU confirmed repeatedly that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was their student and graduated with honours in 1979, they changed lane and started accusing President Bola Tinubu of submitting a fake certificate to INEC in 2022.
Atiku Abubakar’s inordinate quest to malign the integrity of Mr. President also amounts to destroying or tarnishing the image of Nigeria before the international community all in a bid to perpetuate a lie and make people believe that President Bola Tinubu submitted a forged certificate to INEC.
We wish to state that this matter is subjudice and have refrained from making elaborate comments on it but wish to unequivocally debunk the lies being towed by such an elder Statesman who should place patriotism and national interest above his personal ambition to be the number one man in Nigeria. To seek to impugn the character of Nigerians before the International community in the manner he is going smacks of desperation.
We also note the statement credited to the Labour Party Presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi in his press conference where he asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reveal his true identity. This route taken by Mr. Peter Obi is superfluous and unacceptable. This is childish politics and desperation taken too far. It is ironic that Mr. Peter Obi in his press conference repeatedly called the President Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu yet he still wants the same Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reveal his identity. Peter Obi is my brother but I am highly disappointment at him for calling a world press conference demeaning a sitting elected president in such manner.
We at OPI also want to use this opportunity to appeal to Nigerians to continue showing their understanding and confidence in the ability of Mr. President to solve many of our problems especially economic and security issues confronting the country today. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to tackle all these issues from the root and not applying cosmetic solutions to paper the cracks.
In the past four months, the Tinubu administration is systematically laying the ground work for a very prosperous Nigeria where the fruits of prosperity will percolate through the grassroot to the common man. The process may be thorny and harsh, but the destination will bring lasting relief and sustainable prosperity for all.
We equally want to appeal to the President to continue to be meticulous in transforming the national trajectory of Nigeria both in terms of economy, security and political inclusion. On this note we call on Mr. President to equally find a way to include many competent progressives who share his development ideology and also worked tirelessly to help enthrone this government. Giving these categories of people the opportunity to serve in different capacities will be the surest way of quickly attaining the targets contained in his Renewed Hope vision since they are co-owners of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Finally we pray that the President will sustain his track record as a worthy father, a unifier and detribalized Nigerian to ensure equitable sharing in the forthcoming appointments in order to give everyone a sense of belonging and command national loyalty which will ensure that we remain an indivisible Nation and actualize peace and unity for the good of all Nigerians.
On these notes I once again call on my brothers and sisters from the Eastern region to please embrace peace at this time that we need to forge ahead progressively , join us the OPI Igbokwenu Worldwide to support this administration charged to drive to our destination of choice. Owing to the fact that it is obviously too early to agitate , there is no gain without pain, lets persevere and pray for the government to fulfill our desired dream nation.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
