The Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, on Wednesday sent a congratulatory message to President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, over his victory at the polls.
The National Coordinator of the Congress, Chief Gani Adams, in the congratulatory message, said the success of Mr. Buhari at the election across the country proved he is the choice of the people.
The OPC leader commended the president-elect for his resilience and tenacity over the years.
“I wish to send my congratulations to the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, on his success in the recently-concluded presidential election. By his resounding success in the election across the country, General Buhari has proved that he is the choice of the people”, Mr. Adams stated.
“I commend his resilience and tenacity over the years which have seen him equal the record of great leaders like Abraham Lincoln of the USA. His victory is a lesson to all of us that we can be what we want to be if we are patient and persistent in our legitimate pursuits in life.
“His speeches before, during and after the election are also commendable because they went a long way in dousing the tension in the country.
“This actually shows that the ‘Peoples General’ as he is fondly called, is indeed a statesman”.
Mr. Adams also called on Mr. Buhari to begin to see himself as the president-elect of all Nigerians and not just that of his party, the All Progressives Congress.
“However, having won the election, I want the president-elect to begin to see himself as the president-elect of all Nigerians and not just that of the All Progressives Congress (APC). For him, it is time to mend whatever differences that may have arisen as a result of the election.
“It is time for all Nigerians, irrespective of political affiliation, to come together to continue to build our nation in a positive way, which of course, should be the focus of the president-elect himself and every other political leader across the various political parties in the country”, Mr. Adams said.
“And for all of us, it is a new dawn in the annals of the country for an opposition party to win in a popular election”, he added.
Mr. Adams also congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan for creating a level-playing ground for all the parties that contested the election and the high spirit of sportsmanship he displayed when he called to congratulate the president-elect even before all the results were officially released.
“By his action, President Jonathan has truly lived up to his statement that his ambition is not worth the life of any Nigerian. This is an exemplary feat, which any other presidents coming after him must not fall short of achieving.
“And to all Nigerians, who by their participation in the election also deserve kudos as they defied the weather, distance and other hurdles to cast their votes. Their actions have revealed that democracy in the country has come to stay.
“I urge them not to rest on their oars as their consistency in holding leaders accountable to their promises will go a long way in bringing out the best from the public office holders”.
You may recall that Mr. Adams was among notable personalities in the South-West, who kicked against Mr. Buhari’s election.
To demonstrate his support for Jonathan’s re-election, Adams organized a rally in Lagos calling for the sack of Prof. Attahiru Jega, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over his insistence on using the PVCs and card readers for the polls.
He also promised to deliver six million votes to the president, however, not only was he unable to fulfil that promise, he lost his polling unit to the APC.
