Tinubu: Afenifere, Arewa, Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Table Demands

•President Should Focus On Security, Cut Down Emoluments Of Office Holders, Says Afenifere

•SMBLF: Without Restructuring, Nigeria’s Future Remains Bleak

•Gladiators Should Close Ranks Now In Nigeria’s Interest —Sani

•More Congratulatory Messages From President’s Associates, Appointees Pour In

As congratulatory messages to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over last Thursday’s Supreme Court judgment, which affirmed his victory at the 2023 presidential election continued to pour in yesterday, leaders of ethnic nationalities in the country have charged the President to focus on governance henceforth and ensure that his administration changes the fortunes of the country within the next three and a half years.
This was even as some of the leaders expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court judgment, which dismissed the appeals filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election, Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Mr. Peter Obi, saying it was based on technicalities and an embarrassment to the country.
Among those who sent congratulatory messages to the President yesterday were former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Adams Oshiomhole; former Director General of the NBC and member, defunct APC Presidential Inauguration Council, Dr. Nasir Danladi Bako; senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District (APC), Dr. Idiat Adebule; Minister of Niger Delta Development, Abubakar Momoh; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris; foremost presidential campaign group of the APC, the BAT Ambassadors; the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the Oyo State chapter of the APC, among others.
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, while applauding the Supreme Court for affirming Tinubu’s victory, said the President should focus more on security. He said: “It is a matter of concern that insecurity is still being experienced. This can be seen in the upsurge in banditry, kidnapping, herdsmen attack on farmers, cultism and even terrorism.
“To put all these under control, the aspects of the law regarding policing in Nigeria should be looked into. At the moment, the extant law centralises the Nigerian Police. Doctrine of necessity should be invoked to allow states and local councils to establish police services. The police at that level must be vested with all the powers that a police outfit should have in terms of equipment, emoluments, training and so on. Modern technology must be procured and deployed. Indigenes or residents of the given area are those who would make up the personnel of the police services at state and local government levels.
“In view of the trauma being experienced by our children who are participating in the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Afenifere is restating its longstanding advocacy for corps members to be allowed to serve within their states if not within their respective localities,” the pan Yoruba group said.
Afenifere went further to call for a drastic cut in the emoluments and perquisites of political office-holders. It added that in view of the pivotal roles that food and mobility play, highly subsidised vehicles should be provided for transport unions across the country to cut down costs of transportation.
It stated that members of the transport unions should be allowed to purchase the vehicles and pay in installments.  The group also called for creation of an atmosphere for youths to be gainfully engaged through the reactivation of moribund factories and establishment of agric-based settlements with all necessary facilities.
“To tackle the problem of food shortage, the following is suggested: Establishment of commodity boards that will purchase products from farmers profitably. The products are to be sold to food merchants who must sell to the public at prescribed prices that are people-friendly. This goes in line with President Tinubu’s submission in September when he said that ‘democracy without food on the table is a breeding ground for what will consume us, if care is not taken’.”
The pan-Yoruba organisation said that now that the distractions, which electoral trials have constituted, are over, Tinubu “is now on a firmer ground to execute noble ideas contained in his Renewed Hope Agenda so as to make life more abundant for Nigerians.”
Former spokesman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Elder Anthony Sani, while saying the country has been relieved of tension that followed the legal battle between Tinubu, Atiku and Obi, urged the gladiators to close ranks in the interest of Nigeria.
He said: “It was President Abraham Lincoln who said on his inauguration that it is the right of every citizen of a country to vote for whom he or she considers as the best for the nation. But when the results of the elections are announced, the aggrieved have the right to approach the courts with their concerns for adjudication. And when the verdicts are passed, all the citizens are expected to come together and unleash their synergistic potential against collective challenges until the next round of campaigns and elections when they would go back to the trenches.
“This is because no nation thrives in the victory of its faction but through ultimate reconciliation. Victory and defeat are never final.” On its part, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) called for an immediate restructuring of the country and enthronement of true federalism as was originally entrenched in the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions, stressing that without restructuring, the future of Nigeria remains bleak.
The leaders, in a communique issued at the end of a critical meeting, yesterday, chaired by Chief Edwin Clark, which also had Chief Ayo Adebanjo (Afenifere leader); Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu (President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide); Dr. Pogu Bitrus, President (Middle Belt Forum) and Senator Emmanuel Ibok-Essien (National Chairman, Pan Niger Delta Forum) in attendance, rejected the trend where certain sections of the country were continually marginalised in the number of states, local councils and even appointments into the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
They particularly requested that the Southeast should be appropriately represented on the FEC like other geo-political zones, insisting that Nigeria must always remain a country where all citizens and sections enjoy a full sense of belonging and equality.


The leaders noted that the Supreme Court judgment on the 2023 presidential election has brought to an end the legal processes on the conduct and outcome of the election. They commended the political class, especially the other leading presidential candidates in the election, Atiku and Obi, for their recourse to constitutional means in redressing their grievances.
“We will, in the coming days, make a substantial pronouncement on the development,” they added. Part of the communique read: “SMBLF urges that efforts be redoubled to assuage the daily depreciating living standard of Nigerians.
“SMBLF calls on the Federal Government to urgently salvage the naira, which continues to depreciate daily; advises that the Federal Government should take urgent steps to release Nnamdi Kanu since a court of competent jurisdiction has ordered so. We believe that doing so will promote peace and security in the South East.
“That the Federal Capital Territory remains the national patrimony of all Nigerians; thus, condemns the present efforts by some to arrogate exclusiveness. This must be rejected and the promoters of such views should be called to order.
“Insists that President Tinubu takes an urgent look at the 2014 National Conference Report, concluded by 494 of the country’s leaders, as well as the All Progressives Congress (APC) Report on True Federalism.
“The meeting resolved to set up a Strategic Committee on Restructuring and expressed readiness to interface with the Federal Government, the National Assembly and all other stakeholders, on the enunciated issues.”
Reacting to last Thursday’s judgment, Senator Oshiomhole commended the justices of Supreme Court for their courageous, meticulous and judicious handling of all the issues raised in the petitions brought before them for final adjudication.
In a statement by his media aide, Mr. Victor Oshioke, Oshiomhole expressed his enthusiastic approval of the Supreme Court’s judgment, which affirmed President Tinubu’s victory.
He noted that the judgment has decisively resolved any doubts, both within and outside the country, regarding the legitimacy of the electoral umpire’s declaration of President Tinubu as the rightful winner of the presidential election.
Oshiomhole urged all the presidential candidates, especially Atiku and Obi, who had pursued legal actions to now rally their supporters, both at home and abroad, in support of President Tinubu and his government so that the nation can progress. He added: “There is no doubt that President Tinubu has Nigeria’s best interests at heart. He possesses the capacity, experience, will and courage to implement policies and take actions that will restore Nigeria to its former greatness.”
Bako, while congratulating the President, noted that his political sagacity earned him the victory.
“The inevitably of the election outcome was never in doubt at anytime. It is instructive to note that all through the duration of the legal misadventures by the opposition they could not fault or counteract the huge electoral figures of the North West, North East and South West or even sniff at providing tangible evidence of rigging, manipulation or electoral fraud. Asiwaju did not only do his homework well; the strategy applied, the composition of the campaign council, the choice of state pointsmen and the adequate deployment of men and materials were unrivalled leaving the opposition breathless. The presidential election results at INEC level, Tribunal level and now Supreme Court level could not have gone any other way but victory for Asiwaju. Congratulations Mr. President,” he said.
The senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District (APC), Idiat Adebule, also congratulated the President and the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, on their victory at the Supreme Court.
Adebule also felicitated the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the victory.
The former Lagos State Deputy Governor said the judgment has shown