Election results: Yoruba monarchs charge losers to accept outcome for Nigeria’s progress
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
Traditional rulers under the aegis of the Yoruba Obas Forum have called on politicians who contested in the presidential and National Assembly polls of February 25 but lost in the election to accept the outcome in good fate.
They charged them to put all differences aside and join hands with the winners for the progress and development of the country.
They also congratulated the Nigeria’s president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on his victory at the just concluded presidential elections.
The traditional rulers rising from their emergency meeting held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, described Tinubu’s emergence at the keenly contested polls as a victory for generality of the people of the Federation.
They further said Tinubu’s vast experience in the organised private sector, his dexterity in managing a hugely populated cosmopolitan State like Lagos, his struggle for democracy will go a long way to make his presidency a success.
The Yoruba Obas who cut across all South West States and some North Central states, enjoined the President-elect of Nigeria, and his Vice, Kashim Shettima to see their victory as opportunity to serve and most importantly, unite the nation for greatness.
Their position were made known by the Administrator of the Forum who is the Elerinmo of Erinmo, Oba (Dr) Michael Odunayo Ajayi JP, the Molokun of Atijere who is the President of the Forum, Oba Samuel O. Adeoye and the General Secretary of the Forum who is also the Olukotun of Ikotun-Ile, Oba Dr. Abdulrasaq Adebayo Abioye.
The monarchs charged the president-elect to be magnanimous in victory by constituting a collective government of national unity.
They called on teeming youths not to allow themselves to be used by those who do not sincerely have the interest of the Country at heart to cause any problem as the well being of Nigeria and Nigerians is more pertinent than the ambition of anyone.
“We commend President Buhari, the Chairman of INEC for their steadfastness in ensuring a fairly good election where many lost their strongholds. Democracy is a journey not a destination.
“We Yoruba Obas also want to call on the President-elect to consider giving constitutional roles to traditional rulers in the Country which we believe would go a long way to bring the dividends of democracy closer to the rural areas and also in curbing insecurity in the country as we are the Chief Security Officers of our various domain,” they said.
The Yoruba Obas Forum which is a registered forum of hundreds of Obas in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Kwara, Ekiti, Ondo and Kogi states was set up to promote and protect the interest of the Yoruba traditional institution as well as the interest of all Yorubas, while pushing for the long overdue recognition of monarchs in the Nigerian constitution and giving them roles as this will go a long way to ease the stress on governments, bring developments closer to the people at grassroots level and bridge failure gaps.
