By Chesa Chesa
Prominent Zamfara State politician, Senator Kabir Marafa has advised the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, in the 2023 presidential election to join hands and support the government of President Bola Tinubu in the aftermath of the Supreme Court judgement that validated the President’s victory over them.
Marafa, a former senator that represented Zamfara Central District, gave the advice while speaking with State House Correspondents after his closed door meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Senator explained that given the array of challenges being faced by the country, both Atiku and Obi who have expressed their fundamental human rights by challenging Tinubu’s victory up to the highest court, should bury their differences in the interest of the nation.
He said: “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.
“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.
“So, on their part, I wish they would join hands with Mr. President to move the country forward. When I lost the (senatorial) 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.
“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.”
The former lawmaker said that it was even impressive that President Tinubu promises to now concentrate on his job without giving anybody the opportunity to distract him.
Speaking on whether President Tinubu should fulfill his earlier promise of forming a government of national unity, Senator Marafa explained that Tinubu was a practical politician who 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 behaviour from (Thursday), I think will determine what the President will do. If they take the judgement 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,” Senator Marafa added.
The former lawmaker told reporters that he was at the Presidential Villa, to felicitate with President Tinubu over his court victory and discuss other important political developments in State, including insecurity, especially in the area of the huge humanitarian crisis, which a lot of Nigerians don’t know because successive governments in the State tried not to bring the issue to the front burner.
Marafa served as the Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organization in Zamfara State and prides himself as part of the Tinubu success story.
