Members of Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria (CNPDN) otherwise known as Jonathan’s kinsmen, have hailed the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president-elect, following his emergence after last Saturday’s general elections.
Francis Wainwei, National Secretary of CNPDN, in a statement made available to journalists, said Tinubu’s emergence will unite the country.
Recall that Jonathan’s kinsmen had before the elections endorsed Tinubu. They held series of press conferences and campaigns in Abuja, Rivers State and in other parts of the country.
The statement made available to journalists reads: “The Citizens Network For Peace and Development in Nigeria wholeheartedly congratulates the President-elect, Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Vice President-elect, Sen. Kashim Ibrahim Shettima on their well-deserved victory at the 2023 presidential election.Your pair is the best for Nigeria at this moment.
“Mr President-elect, we are very excited that you emerged victorious in the presidential election because you have the capacity and competence to entrench the fundamentals of democratic governance in this country and as a true democrat that has been actively involved in the vanguard for the advancement of democratic ideals in Nigeria for decades, our faith in your democratic disposition is unimpeachable. You fought for democracy with all your might and at the risk of losing your life.
“Now that the mantle of leadership has been handed to you by the long-suffering Nigerian masses, so much is expected from you by the masses of this country.
“As a true democrat and advocate of the welfare of the masses, we are incurably optimistic that your ad ministration shall truly belong to the masses. The welfare of the masses should be your focus and driving force. And we know that you shall not disappoint us. As an organisation with structures across the country that get constant feedbacks from its members, we can boldly assure you that the masses of this country are solidly behind you.
“Your, owing to your democratic credentials and competence ,we believe strongly that you shall entrench the strict observance of the rule of law for the betterment of this country. We know that the era of flagrant disregard to democratic ideals and the rule of Law is over. The masses have yearned for years, an era ,where no one can be above the law and everything done according to true democratic principles. “We know that you are the vehicle through which that much desired era of the supremacy of the rule of law shall be solidly entrenched in this country. You have already stated so in your acceptance speech and we believe totally in your commitment to do so.
“We are also excited because your administration shall bring about accelerated development of Nigeria ,such as you did in Lagos State, as Governor. You are a visionary leader with lots of creative ideas for the development of the country and that was why we supported your candidature for the presidency of this country. We believe that Nigeria can now enjoy accelerated and holistic development and growth in all spheres of our national life,as a nation.
“Furthermore, we have utmost faith in your capacity and competence to lay a solid foundation for the enthronement of the ‘Nigeria of our dreams’, where every Nigerian will have a sense of belonging and can attain any political position ,by dint of hard work and competence, without reference to the person’s parental background, religion or tribe.
“Finally, we greatly thank Nigerians for heeding to our call by electing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as this shall foster and strengthen our national unity and cohesion. It shall also accelerate the holistic development and prosperity of the country.
“We are also using this medium to call on the other presidential candidates and their supporters to give peace a chance and join hands with the President-elect to advance the development of the country. However, if they have genuine grievances with the way the election was conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), they should peacefully pursue their cases by using peaceful and lawful means,as the country cannot afford to suffer any form of violence as a result of using unlawful and anti-democratic means to pursue the resolution of their grievances. As patriots,they should always place the collective interest of the nation above their personal and sectional interests.”
