The newly-elected governors and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, have been congratulated by Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State.
While promising them that their opinions will continue to be important in the transition to a new Nigeria, Soludo also hailed the young people of Nigeria as the heroes of the national elections in 2023.
Although praising the Independent National Electoral Commission, the governor made it clear that in order to move closer to a more ideal system, the nation must continue to strengthen and reform its electoral systems and public engagement in politics.
These were revealed in a statement that the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria personally signed on Tuesday.
Beyond the elections, he continued, everyone should be concerned about the South-deteriorating East’s security, which is why he urged Tinubu to free Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, as soon as he took office.
He said, “The 2023 general election in Nigeria has come and gone. To me, the true heroes of the last elections are the citizens of Nigeria, especially the youths, whose voices will continue to be critical as we collectively strive to build a new Nigeria. Nigeria is the winner, and I am confident that a better future lies ahead of us.
“Let me also congratulate the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his election. We congratulate your closest opponents for their courageous and impressive outing.
“Nigeria needs healing and restructuring, and the fundamental challenges of insecurity and the economy remain humongous. We pledge to collaborate and partner with you and the Federal Government for the development of Anambra State and Nigeria. This is the only country that we call ours and we must make it work.”
He called on all those who feel aggrieved about the elections to take relevant steps in recovering their mandate by following the due process of approaching the court.
“In this regard, may I repeat my previous calls and hereby request our president-elect to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu immediately after swearing-in (that is, if he is not released before then). We need him around the table as an important stakeholder in discussions about healing and sustainable peace in the South-East.
“While our efforts with the security agencies are yielding significant results, we believe that sustainable peace and security will be enhanced through wider non-kinetic engagements with all critical stakeholders,” the statement added.
