Supreme Court Verdict: Afenifere Leader, Reuben Fasoranti, Congratulates Tinubu, Hails Judiciary

Leader of Afenifere Worldwide, Chief Reuben Famuyide Fasoranti, OFR, has congratulated President Ahmed Bola Tinubu on his victory at the apex court on Thursday, October 26, 2023.

The felicitation by Afenifere Leader was contained in a Statement released by the organization’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi.

It would be recalled that the Supreme Court, after dismissing the appeals filed by the Presidential Candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, affirmed that Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu was the winner of the 2023 Presidential election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Tinubu was the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Presidential Election’s Tribunal has earlier upheld Tinubu’s victory.

But the dissatisfied PDP and LP Candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively, headed for the Supreme Court.

The apex court dismissed all the grounds of appeals and affirmed the victory of the APC candidate.

Ajayi quoted Afenifere Leader as describing the verdict by both the Tribunal and the Supreme Court as monumental.

“Monumental because of the clarifications made in respect of certain aspects of our electoral processes. One of such was the pronouncements made regarding the position of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Ditto for the position of the law in regard to the deadline for filing papers relating to elections”.

Pa Fasoranti lauded the Justices that adjudicated on the cases both at the Panel and Supreme Court levels “for being so painstaking in their assignments. What they did and how it was done have further enhanced the image of the judiciary positively”.

After lauding the judiciary, Fasoranti congratulated Nigerians for the peaceful atmosphere that, on the whole, characterized the whole electoral and judiciary processes.

He went further to remind the President of some of the issues he (Fasoranti) had raised with him (Tinubu) in the recent past. Issues meant to tackle many problems confronting the country, particularly in the area of security.

“It is a matter of concern that insecurity is still being experienced. This can be seen in the upsurge in banditry, kidnapping, herdsmen and attacks on farmers, cultism and even terrorism.

“To put all these under control, the following were suggested as immediate steps to be taken:- the aspects of the law regarding policing in Nigeria be looked into. At the moment, the extant law centralises the Nigerian Police. Doctrine of necessity be invoked to allow States and Local Government Areas to establish police services. The Police at that level be vested with all the powers that a Police outfit should have in terms of equipment, emoluments, training and so on.Modern technology must be procured and deployed.Indigenes or residents of the given area be those who would make up the personnel of the police services at state and local government levels.

“In view of the trauma being experienced by our children who are participating in the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Afenifere is reintrating its longstanding advocacy for corpers to be allowed to serve within their states if not within their respective localties”.

Afenifere went further to call for a drastic cut in the emoluments and perquisites of political office-holders.

The body’s spokesman added that in view of the pivotal roles that food and mobility play, two steps are recommended:- highly subsidized vehicles be provided for transport unions across the country to cut down costs of transportation. Members of the transport unions are to purchase the vehicles and pay installmentally. – atmosphere be created for youths to be gainfully engaged by, for instance, resurrect moribund factories and establish Agric-based settlements with all necessary facilities.

“To tackle the problem of food shortage, the following is suggested. Establishment of commodity boards that will purchase products from farmers profitably. The products are to be sold to food merchants who must sell to the public at prescribed prices that are people-friendly. This goes in line with what President Tinubu’s submission in September when said that “Democracy without food on the table is a breeding ground for what will consume us, if care is not taken”.

In rounding off, the pan-Yoruba organization said that now that the distractions which electoral trials have constituted are over, President Bola Tinubu “is now on a firmer ground to execute noble ideas contained in his Renewed Hope Agenda so as to make life more abundant for Nigerians”.