By Isaac Olusesi
It’s imperative that the supporters of the contenders in the just concluded presidential polls should accept the winner’s ascent and losers’ descent in the spirit of sportsmanship to strengthen the nation’s democracy.
Dr Thomas Olaleye Ogungbangbe made the remarks on the heels of the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as newly elected president by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He asked the winner and losers to consider the ballot verdict as political ratification and popular endorsement of the election exercise.
Ogungbangbe, a business magnate and House of Representatives aspirant in Ijesa North federal constituency of Osun State who had earlier remarked that ballot is the key to arriving at the best and most widely acceptable presidential candidate, noted that voters had turned out in their recorded numbers and the election officials did their job with integrity and transparency that reflected the will of the people. He urged the presidency seekers in the poll to accept the finality of the declaration of Tinubu as president-elect. He charged them to ignore any tension- induced rhetoric, capable of igniting physical and voice protests to describe the election as a disaster and undermine both the electoral system and public confidence in Tinubu.
He longed to see the contenders who were in the close and hard fought presidential contest to set aside partisan differences and deep personal animosities and accept the final result of the election as validated by INEC, stating that the election wasn’t one filled with threats and there were reports that all the candidates gave direct affirmation to accept the results of the presidential election. He gave kudos to the losers as no one is poised not to accept poll outcome.
“Democracy continues in Nigeria with or without one shown up at the poll. It’s a system that lays bare political parties’ gain or loss in an election with respectful deference to the sanctity of the election verdict. It behoves the winner to console the loser, and the loser to concede defeat and accept the election ruling.
“With pleasant exchanges between the camp of the winner, the Tinubus and the camp of the losers, the Atikus and Obis after the election outcome is now known, the collapse of political confrontation reached on the election day and post poll polarization can be predicted with certainty,” Ogungbangbe said just as he called for post election co-operation and overall endorsement of the electoral system, with enthusiasm towards the newly elected president to govern the nation effectively.
He posited that democracy in Nigeria has come of age, developing its own tradition of peaceful transition of leadership change at the apex of governance. Continue Reading
Contact: Nationnewslead.com
