Mallam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said on Thursday that if Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or Peter Obi of the Labour Party had won the presidential elections on February 25, many leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would have been forced to retire.
Shehu stated that the recent election victories of President-elect Bola Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, as well as the APC’s control of 21 of 36 states, solidified the party’s dominance in national politics.
He made these remarks during a meeting with the Arewa Young Lawyers’ Forum (AYLF), an organization that represents young lawyers in Northern Nigeria.
According to the presidential spokesman, an opposition victory would have jeopardized both the careers of APC leaders and the successful implementation of the Buhari administration’s programs, which have empowered marginalized groups and addressed infrastructure deficits.
The Deputy Director of Information, State House, Patience Tilley-Gyado in a statement quoted Shehu saying;
APC victory in the election is a watershed moment for the Buhari government, its orientation, its programmes and projects.
In the hands of the opposition, many of the laudable programmes of the Buhari administration would have been sabotaged or unimplemented.
An important and overlooked aspect of the Tinubu/Shettima victory is that it ensures, not only an orderly transfer of power from the outgoing administration to the incoming one, but also the safety of policies and programmes of the outgoing government.
For this, we remain grateful to the Almighty, and to citizens of Nigeria for sticking with our Party.
Shehu also emphasized the significance of the Tinubu/Shettima victory in ensuring a smooth transfer of power and the continuation of the policies of the outgoing administration.
He urged AYLF members to play an important role in promoting the study and practice of law in the northern states, claiming that both lawyers and journalists are critical to the development and maintenance of democracy.
Barr. Olayinka Dauda Jimoh, Chairman of the AYLF, requested the Presidency’s assistance in providing strategic training for young lawyers in order to enhance their leadership roles in society.