The Presidency has cautioned followers of President Muhammadu Buhari against inciting the opposition to anger as they celebrate the victory of the president.
Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang issued the warning while addressing State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja after meeting with the President.
Enang, while congratulating the President and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said those celebrating the success should be modest so as not to anger the opposition.
He said, “Let me, first of all, congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in the victory as president and vice president on the Next Level and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“What we as a government and a people should do is to ensure that our statements, our actions, our celebrations and our reaction to those who lost should be tempered, temperate, measured, humble and such that are not capable of inciting the other party to anger.”
Enang also called on those who won as senators and members of the House of Representatives to talk to their followers to speak less and work more to bring about unity and integration of those who have lost.
He said: “The real winners in this election are the Nigerian voters; and we are conscious that about 11 million people voted for the other party while 15 million voted for our party.
“For the incoming members of the National Assembly, first, for the members who have been re-elected; first as Senators and members of the House of Representatives is to congratulate them; for those who are elected new and are coming in, we congratulate and welcome them.
“We are praying that their actions should also be conciliatory. In the next election we are going in on March 9, next week, we should look at as a party and as a government, the areas and the pitfalls and address them so that there would be peaceful election.
“I will advise that all those who are going for the election, campaigning, the governorship candidates and the House of Assembly candidates who are going in for the elections, they should also measure their campaign words and they should maintain peace better than was maintained in the presidential and National Assembly elections.
“Finally, I will urge the opposition party which has lost the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to be measured in their statements and reactions and their decisions. If they have grievance, let pursue the appropriate constitutional channel of a petition.”
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