Tinubu urged Nigerians whose preferred candidates lost the presidential election to join him in rebuilding the nation.
The President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has extended a hand of fellowship to supporters of his opponents in the just-concluded presidential election.
The former Lagos State governor made the call during his speech shortly after receiving his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
Recall the commission in the early hours of Wednesday declared Tinubu as the winner of the hotly-contested election of Saturday February 25, 2023 election, having secured the highest number of votes cast and recorded 25% of votes cast in over 24 states across the country.
The election has been described as the most competitive in the history of the country as all the top three candidates – Tinubu, Abubakar Atiku, and Peter Obi – matched one another in terms of number of states won.
Recognising how polarising his victory might be, the President-elect sincerely sympathised with supporters of his opponents over the failure of their preferred candidates to win the election.
He also urged them not to let the outcome of the election dampen their patriotism, while also calling for their support to build a prosperous Nigeria.
Tinubu’s words: “I know many didn’t vote for me and you are disappointed that your candidate isn’t where I stand now. I understand your hurt. Your anger and disappointment, I send the embrace and comfort of one family member to another.
“This great project called Nigeria beckons to us all, it’s bigger and more important than any partisan divide. To my supporters, I ask you to continue to have faith in the mission we’ve articulated.
“To those who didn’t support me, I ask that you not allow the disappointment of this moment to keep you from realising the historic national progress we can make by working together.”
Tinubu urged Nigerians whose preferred candidates lost the presidential election to join him in rebuilding the nation.