Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State made the remark on Wednesday in his congratulatory message to the president.

Sanwo-Olu said ”although millions of Nigerians were not in doubt as regards the mandate freely given to President Buhari to steer the ship of the country for another term of four years, the opposition politicians were also not wrong to have approached the court to seek redress.”

He noted that they were free to test the country’s judicial system  as they had done at the election petition tribunal.

”With this pronouncement, it is clear to everyone that contrary to misinformation being spread against our party during the electioneering by the opposition, the All Progressives Congress under President Muhammadu Buhari performed to the satisfaction of Nigerians in his first term in office,” he added.

Governor Sanwo-Olu therefore enjoined Nigerians across party divide to team up with the president to deliver the real dividends of democracy to the people.

He said the next level campaign of the president was not only exciting but also a clear indication of the new frontier the country will reach in the next four years and beyond.

”I therefore congratulate the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the leadership and members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress and all Nigerians at home and in the diaspora on this very landmark judicial victory,” Sanwo-Olu said.

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The Tribunal on Wednesday dismissed the petition by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in its entirety.

In separate statements issued, the senators said the verdict was a confirmation that Nigerians gave Buhari their mandate to be the president.

“The judgment of the tribunal has again put a judicial seal on the mandate freely given to the president by the Nigerian people in the February 23 presidential election,” said Lawan.

Lawan urged the president to accept the affirmation of his election as a reminder of the confidence of Nigerians in his capacity to continue to lead Nigeria towards its manifest destiny of greatness.

The Senate President said the Nigerian people had great expectations from the Next Level Agenda of the president and further pledged the full cooperation of the National Assembly with the Executive in the pursuit of the best interest of the Nigerian people.

Lawan also commended the petitioners for using the judicial window prescribed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in seeking redress for their grievances and urged them to join hands with the government and the Nigerian people in the important task of nation-building.

In his message, Omo-Agege said he joined millions of Nigerians in congratulating the president.

Omo-Agege said his “overwhelming electoral victory” was won on the basis of a populist mandate as well as on the strength of the nation’s constitution.

He said further:  “Your victory and that of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) at the February 23 Presidential election was not only visible to the blind but audible to the deaf as our progressive ideals resonate profoundly with the genuine hopes and aspirations of our people.

“Today’s judgement only affirmed the conviction of many who have consistently maintained that with the over three million vote margin between you and your closest challenger, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Domocratic Party (PDP),  it was glaring that they were merely embarking on an academic exercise at the tribunal.

“It was no surprise, therefore, that the petition of Atiku and the PDP was torn to shreds and dismissed unanimously by the five-man panel. Like we were taught in law, you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand.

“As you continue to strive towards making our dear nation the envy of other nations  through your Next Level Agenda, remain assured that the 9th Senate will provide the enabling environment for the actualisation of our progressive objectives.

“My family, constituents and other well-meaning Nigerians felicitate with you on this landmark victory which has taken an avoidable distraction out of the way,  even as we look forward to renewed collective vigour – under your principled leadership – against inherited developmental challenges.”

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Gboluga is representing Okitipupa/Irele constituency in the House of Representatives.

The court nullified his election for swearing his allegiance to the United Kingdom (UK), having acquired the citizenship of the country.

The court emphasised that he was not eligible to contest for the February 23, National Assembly election for his allegiance with UK.

The three-man panel headed by Justice Nuhu Adi also declared Albert Akintoye of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the election and ordered the electoral commission to issue Certificate of Return to Akintoye after withdrawing same from Gboluga.

The petitioner wanted the tribunal to declare him winner of the election on the ground that the first respondent, Gboluga Ikengboju, was not validly elected by majority of lawful votes cast.

Besides, he said Gboluga was not eligible to stand for the election having sworn to an oath of allegiance to the United Kingdom as enunciated by section 66 sub-section one of the 1999 constitution.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Nuhu Adi, said evidences of 15 witnesses called by the petitioner, including himself were not sufficient to prove that the grounds of non-compliance with the electoral laws substantially affected the conduct and outcome of the election

Justice Adi also said Ikengboju Gboluga’s counsel did not oppose the evidence tendered by the petitioner that the PDP lawmaker swore to an oath of allegiance to the UK.

He said in line with extant laws, the tribunal was convinced that Ikengboju Gboluga was not  eligible to run for the election and therefore, nullified his victory.

He, therefore, ordered INEC to issue the petitioner a certificate of return as the first runner up since the votes credited to Ikengboju had been a waste.

Akintoye expressed gratitude to the Ondo Elections Petition Tribunal for upholding his prayers to be declared winner of the February 2019 House of Representatives election.

He said his victory showed rule of law at work and expressed readiness for further actions on the judgement by the respondents.

His counsel, Adamson Adeboro, said the tribunal was right to have upheld their arguments that Ikengboju Gboluga was not eligible to contest having admitted to have swore oath of allegiance to the United Kingdom.

However, counsel to Ikengboju, Olumide Ogunje, said his client would appeal the judgement.

The state chairman of APC in the state, Ade Adetimehin, lauded the tribunal’s judgement and hailed the resilience of Akintoye to reclaim his mandate in court.

He said the victory had swelled the ranks of the APC, particularly in the National Assembly.

Adetimehin appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately issue a certificate of return to Akintoye as directed by the tribunal.

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Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was declared winner of the contest by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

He defeated PDP’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

PDP and its candidate have since rejected the verdict of INEC, saying that the election was fraught with irregularities.

It threatened that it would challenge the result in court.

In fulfilment of the threat, PDP, on Tuesday filed a suit , before the presidential election petition tribunal.

In the suit filed by its counsel, Chris Uche, PDP sought the leave of the tribunal to enable it inspect the materials used for the election.

They include the voters register, the smart card reader machines and ballot papers.

PDP requested that the tribunal compel INEC to allow it scan and make photocopies of the documents used in the election.

The requests were to make PDP point out the alleged electoral malpractices carried out during the election.

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The confirmation was made on Monday by the Ekiti State governorship petition tribunal which sat in Abuja.

It therefore struck out the case challenging Fayemi’s victory during the election by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Olusola Kolapo.

On Monday, the three-man tribunal headed by Suleiman Belgore unanimously struck out Olusola’s case and ruled that Fayemi was the duly elected governor of the state.

It would be recalled that Kolapo challenged the victory of Fayemi at the tribunal, claiming that the election was fraught with irregularities.

Fayemi won the election with 197, 459 votes while Kolapo came second with 178,223 votes.

Meanwhile, the police in the state had warned against any unlawful protest over the judgement.

Speaking with journalists on Sunday, the police spokesman in the state, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, said they would not allow anyone to destabilise the state using the outcome of the judgement as excuse.

He warned that a special squad was already on ground to frustrate any form of destabilisation.

“This squad is a Joint Task Force comprising the police and other sister agencies with about 150 men

“They are spread all over the state and being overseen by the police. So, they are on ground to stop any unlawful assembly or stop any protest that could result in violence,” he said.

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The police gave the warning on Sunday that they would not tolerate any unlawful protest by politicians and their followers.

According to the police spokesman in the state, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, who spoke with journalists, they would not allow anyone to destabilise the state using the outcome of the judgement as excuse.

He warned that a special squad was already on ground to frustrate any form of destabilisation.

His words:  “This squad is a Joint Task Force comprising the police and other sister agencies with about 150 men

“They are spread all over the state and being overseen by the police. So, they are on ground to stop any unlawful assembly or stop any protest that could result in violence.

“Though people are ready to hold peaceful protest but no one has written to us now to say that they would stage any protest over the judgment.

“Even if any group would stage a protest, it won’t be one that will cause riotous assembly or that can be hijacked by hoodlums.

“Again, whoever loses in the judgment still has the option of appeal, so, violence is not the best option for it won’t be tolerated.

“On our part, we are ready and we assure our people that there is no cause for alarm.’’

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the July 14, 2018, governorship election in Ekiti State, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, contested the victory of Fayemi at the election at the tribunal.

He claimed that the election was fraught with electoral malpractices in favour of Fayemi and therefore sought for its nullification.

Fayemi won the election with 197, 459 votes while Kolapo came second with 178,223 votes.

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