As politicians continue to react the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as President- elect, Chairman of the All Progressive Congress APC, Adams Oshiomhole has lampooned Senate President Bukola Saraki, saying that Saraki May have been buried politically.
Oshiomhole while speaking with State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, after congratulating President Muhammadu Buhari, said “People who came to the Senate with less than a 100,000 votes, and began to hold the country to ransome, their own people have recalled them home”
He declared that as much as the APC will want to be magnanimous in victory, the party must not overlook developments that trailed the nation’s political landscape, preceding the Presidential elections.
According to him, “ there are couple of things that have happened, that show that the Nigerian people know who to reward and those who are extremely arrogant.
“While we were saying that we will impeach them, their people said they would rather bury them politically. Now, they are out. It shows the power of democracy,
The APC Chairman described democracy as a leveler, an equalizer, adding that “you cannot be bigger than the people”
“Our people say that a politician is alike an Okra tree, he should never grow taller than the person who planted it. And those who plant the political okra tree are the Nigerian people.
“I think, a couple of lessons have been learnt, this game is for those who are humble, those who believe in the people. There are no dynasties, the people are the sovereign, when they borrow you the power, remember, it is only lent to you, and it will expire, and it will require renewal. If you don’t behave, thy will remove you.
He however described the President’s statement as apt, describing it as “ what you expect from a statesman, that even in victory, he sowed humility and offered hand of fellowship to those who share commitment to the future of Nigeria and contested against him. But in every race, there would always be a winner.
“For those analysts who have been active since 1999 in his fourth republic, this is the most keenly contested election and my joy is that first, in the electioneering season, given all issues about security in Nigeria, there is no incident of terrorists attack except one or so in maybe Yobe or somewhere.
“That for me, to God be the glory”
.”The second is people who had predicted that Nigerians are going to fight, are going to war and that we are preparing for a Second World War, I am sure again, they have been put to shame.
“I know that Nigerians believe in their country, we appreciate our friends but we also know that those friends will never accept us as citizens of their country.
“The only country we cannot be deported from, the only country we don’t need Visa to stay in, no matter who you are, no matter what you do, is Nigeria.
He also expressed Happines that Nigerians have renewed overwhelmingly the mandate of Mr. President, adding that “If you look at the numbers, you will see that the President has more votes.
“This time, the difference between the President and the runner up, is that he has more votes than before. So, regardless of those fake talk, fake news in the social media, so of those sponsored fake pastors who were trying to put religion as an issue to divide Nigerians against one another, they have all been put to shame”
“I wasn’t sure of who was going to win, only God knows until the votes were counted. But who hung I was sure is that ones the election goes the way it has gone, Nigeria is the winner and Nigerians are winners”
Oshiomhole who noted that free and fair election is not the same thing with a perfect election, added that “that there is visible improvement over the past election.
Oshiomhole while also giving the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, however added that “ on the whole, I think the world, observers, local and foreign all agreed that this was a free and fair election”
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
