Tinubu’s Peace Delegation Moves to Meet Atiku

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Members of the reconciliation delegation team sent by the president-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar did not meet the former vice president at home, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

A reliable source close to the former vice president told THISDAY during a phone chat that Governors Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano; Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi; Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa; Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa, and the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Nuhu Ribadu, had gone to plead with Atiku to concede defeat in the interest of peace and unity, but unfortunately according to the source, they were not able to meet the former vice president.

During his media briefing yesterday, Atiku said he was not aware that they came to see him.
Also his media adviser, Paul Ibe, said he was not aware of such visit.

It was also gathered that others that visited Atiku were the Commonwealth delegation led by the former South Africa President Thambo Mbeki and the African Union delegation led by the former Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyetta.

The president-elect had set up committees to meet aggrieved presidential candidates to start the “healing process”.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and a member of the committees disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde.
He said a Committee of Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon begin to meet with co-contestants of the president-elect in a bid to assuage their loss in the just concluded poll.

He stressed that every aggrieved person would be met for reconciliation.
“The president-elect has set up committees to meet with the gentlemen who contested in the election for us to start the healing process. I belong to one of the committees. We are going to meet them and appeal to them so that we can work together,” the governor stated.
Tinubu polled 8,794,726 and was declared President-Elect on Wednesday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Top opposition parties in the election like Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have rejected the outcome of the poll, saying the electoral umpire failed to play by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 on electronic transmission of results. The oppositions have also threatened to head to court to challenge the outcome of the poll.
Atiku Abubakar got 6,984,520 votes, Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi scored 6,101,533 and NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso secured 1,496,687 votes.