Sultan right to call on Election losers to accept defeat

Politicians challenging the outcome of the 2023 Elections in Court have been urged to accept the result in good faith and move on.

Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, made this call while speaking during the Eid-El Fitri celebration in Sokoto.

The Sultan who is the President General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria urged losers in the Elections to accept their fate as handed down by the People of Nigeria.

While reacting to the call by the Sultan, Guests and Journalists on the programme journalists Hangout on Sunday said the call by the Sultan is apt.

Leading the discussion, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, said the call by the Sultan is a good one especially as he is a conscience of the nation.

He said the issue of the Presidential Election is not the only one that the call should affect but al, elections held in the 2023 General Election.

He expressed his disbelief at the level of noise coming from the Peter Obi camp claiming he won an election where he came third in and had no clear pathway to victory.

He described the 2023 Presidential Election as similar in outcome to the 1979 Presidential Election which had 5 major parties with a very competitive result much closer than the 2023 Election.

He said most Politicians who go to Tribunals have no basis to claim victory or malpractices was why they lost but do so out of a misguided belief that the Courts will somehow find a way to give them victory.

He said the level of noise buy the Obi camp on Social is so high compared to what is coming from the Second placed person, Atiku Abubakar.

He described the 2023 Election as a very competitive Election that has thrown up winners who have emerged through dint of hardwork.

According to him the abuses, insults and unnecessary heating up of the polity by so called Obidients is what he abhors.

He expressed happiness that the Sultan made such a call but added that the call by the revered Sultan will fall on deaf ears even if the Courts decides that the winner as declared by the Election management body are the winners.

He disclosed that the anonymity provided by the Social Media has made it easy for people to hurl abuses and insults at people who they will normally not have the courage to attack.

He said the arguments of people who are more knowledgeable than him gets his attention, one of such people according to him is Professor Attahiru Jega, a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

He disclosed that APC lost all the major States that riggers according to Professor Jega will target to rig themselves in.

Going Further, he said Politicians in Nigeria lack Political maturity so much as to wish their opponents dead all in the name of Politics.

Fir his part, Paul Dada, said the call by the Sultan is a good one but the reality is that not everybody will be a gentleman like former President Goodluck Jonathan who congratulated the obvious winner even when all the results have not been officially announced.

He urged the losers to work towards building a formidable opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress pointing at the example of the APC with Alhaji Lai Mohammed as the publicity Secretary.

He disclosed his discomfort at the thinking by a lot of laymen who expect the Judiciary to think like them.

He described the reasoning as tunnel reasoning for them to think that your thinking must prevail at all times.

He said the Obidients or by whatever nomenclature they want to give themselves have to think better and differently to the current way they do to make progress in achieving their aims.