2nd April, 2023
A former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, has advised those kicking against the inauguration of the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, not to turn Nigeria into a banana republic.
Obanikoro, also a former Ambassador to Ghana, made the remark while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the 9th Ramadan Lecture of Anwar-Ul Islam College, Agege, Old Students’ Association (ACAOSA), on Saturday in Lagos.
The Ramadan Lecture had in attendance various alumni of the school including Obanikoro; Alhaji Tunde Balogun, former Lagos APC Chairman; civil servants, technocrats; entrepreneurs; legal practitioners and academics.
The lecture was titled, “Islamic Perspective of a Good Governance: Any Lesson for Nigeria?”
Obanikoro said: “They are daydreaming. There is no perfect election anywhere in the world.
“For anyone that is not satisfied, what is next is to go through the judiciary. If you feel aggrieved, go to the court.
“We cannot turn Nigeria into a banana republic.
“Our system is not perfect, it is a work in progress, we have to continue to work at it until we get to a situation that all of us will be comfortable with.”
Describing as sad and unfortunate the calls by some people for Interim National Government, Obanikoro said that those calling for it showed that they did not appreciate democracy, hence not qualified to lead such government.
“It sounds crazy to me,” he added.
Alhaji Lawal Pedro (SAN), the President General, ACAOSA, also said that those protesting against the May 29 inauguration of Tinubu were not democrats, saying “they are people who do not mean well for the country”.
Maintaining that the election was relatively free and fair considering the number of states each of the major contenders won, Pedro urged those who lost to plan for the next electoral cycle.
“These people should not be tolerated, in fact the necessary authorities should go after them. If they have evidence of being rigged, they should take it to the court rather can constituting nuisance,” he said.