President Bola Tinubu has appealed to his political opponents in the last general elections to join hands with him for the “peace, progress and stability” of the country.
Mr Tinubu made the appeal in his first new year broadcast to Nigerians as president, insisting that the task of building the nation was not the sole responsibility of government officials.
During the presidential election which had 19 candidates but was largely seen as a three-horse race, Mr Tinubu trounced Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) who came second and third respectively.
After the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the former Lagos governor as winner, his opponents refused to congratulate him but sought legal redress up to the Supreme Court where their applications were all dismissed.
Addressing Nigerians on Monday, the president called for the collective efforts of everyone in nation building.
“For the new year to yield all its good benefits to us as individuals and collectively as a people we must be prepared to play our part. The job of building a prosperous nation is not the job of the President, Governors, Ministers, Lawmakers and government officials alone,” he said.
“Our destinies are connected as members of this household of Nigeria. Our language, creed, ethnicity and religious beliefs even when they are not same should never make us work at cross purposes.
“In this new year, let us resolve that as joint-heirs to the Nigerian Commonwealth, we will work for the peace, progress and stability of our country. I extend this call to my political opponents in the last election. Election is over. It’s time for all of us to work together for the sake of our country.
“We must let the light each of us carries – men and women, young and old – shine bright and brighter to illuminate our path to a glorious dawn,” he added.
