5th May, 2023
By Ismaila Chafe
The electoral victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 2023 general elections is a difficult reality for the opposition parties, according to the Presidency.
Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, stated this while receiving members of the “Arewa Young Lawyers’ Forum (AYLF),” the umbrella body for all young lawyers in Northern Nigeria.
According to him, the victory of the President-elect and Vice President-elect, Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, respectively, and the established control of the APC in 21 out of 36 states, had firmly established the party as a dominant national political party.
‘‘This is a difficult reality for the opposition parties,’’ he said.
Shehu stated that the opposition’s victory in the general election would not only have ended many APC leaders’ careers but would also have had negative consequences for the Buhari administration’s various programmes.
He noted that these programmes empowered marginalised groups and helped to address much of the nation’s infrastructure deficit.
“APC victory in the election is a watershed moment for the Buhari government, its orientation, its programmes and projects. In the hands of the opposition, many of the laudable programmes of the Buhari administration would have been sabotaged or unimplemented.
“An important and overlooked aspect of the Tinubu/Shettima victory is that it ensures, not only an orderly transfer of power from the outgoing administration to the incoming one, but also the safety of policies and programmes of the outgoing government.
‘‘For this, we remain grateful to the Almighty, and to citizens of Nigeria for sticking with our party,” he said.
In accepting his appointment as Grand Patron of the Arewa Young Lawyers’ Forum, the presidential spokesman urged members of the organisation to be leaders in promoting legal education and practice in the northern states.
“To build and secure democracy in our communities, you need lawyers and journalists as its guardians and protectors. Without one, the other will not be successful,” he admonished them.
Mr. Olayinka Jimoh, Chairman of AYLF, requested the Presidency’s assistance in providing strategic training to young wigs in order to strengthen their leadership roles in society.
Audu Umaru, National Welfare Director (Borno), Ahmad Khalil, National Treasurer (Yobe), and Paul Gbande, Director of Publicity (Benue) also attended the meeting.
NAN