By Cross
In fulfilment of his intention to run a government of national unity, President Bola Tinubu will be prepared to work with his major political rivals, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
A former Senator representing Zamfara Central, Kabiru Marafa, who stated this while speaking with correspondents after a meeting with the president at the presidential villa in Abuja, weekend, said that what the president does with them will depend on their attitude from the point the apex court delivered its judgement.
Recall that the Supreme Court had last week dismissed the appeals filed by both the presidential candidates of the PDP and the LP against the declaration of Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.
The All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain said when asked whether the president should fulfill his pledge now that the court processes are over, that his rivals need to put up a good behavior to encourage President Tinubu.
Marafa said, “I am not Mr. President but I like the way you put the question ‘do you think’? I know Mr. President is a politician and he knows the game very well. He is the one to decide to say; now should I go ahead to form a government of national unity like I wanted to or having seen the behavior of the participants, I should abandon it?
“Their behavior from Thursday, I think, will determine what the president will do. If they take the judgment with open hearts and extend a hand of friendship to Mr. President, I know the president will want to work with everybody. Governance is something that you need all hands on deck to succeed, especially in a complex country like Nigeria.”
He asserted that the former rivals must bury their differences and work together for the sake of the country, saying that with the number of challenges in the land, the president will require all hands on deck to succeed.
The Zamfara State former senator added, “My prayer and wish for them is to bury their differences and join hands with Mr. President to move the country forward, especially given the problems we have across the nation.
Read Also:60% frontier acreages funds: Kyari to appear before Senate this week
“So, we need all hands on deck now. It is over. They have done what they are supposed to have done. The constitution gives them inherent rights to challenge the victory. But with the verdict of the apex court, the battle is over.
“As the president said, he is going to concentrate on his job without giving anybody any opportunity to distract him. So, on their part, I wish they would join hands with Mr. President to move the country forward.
“When I lost the election, I congratulated the person who defeated me. I also promised that the best thing that I can give the people of Zamfara Central is to cooperate with whoever they choose to be their Senator to move the zone forward. Because they elected me twice and I won convincingly in the two elections.
“So, if now somebody says I lost, I think I should accept the fact that in any game, there are winners and there are losers. Yesterday, I was the winner and today, I lost. I should accept it and move forward, tomorrow is another day.
“So, I expect also at the national level for our elders to do the same. They have exhausted their rights. So, it is over. Let us now move to building Nigeria. Let us now look at the plight of the masses.
“You know things are very difficult and hard, which is occasioned by the removal of subsidy which is a must. I was the Chairman of the Senate Committee of the Petroleum Downstream. So, I know what is happening in the area. Also, the rate of the dollar is adding to the difficulties in the country.”
Marafa, who affirmed that he was a key member of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organization as the Coordinator for Zamfara State, said he was on a personal visit to the presidential villa to congratulate the president and discuss some political and security issues with him.
