A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Tinubu/Shettima 2023, has applauded Nigerians for rejecting calls by opposition leaders to protest against the outcome of last Saturday's presidential election.
The CSOs who rallied support president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the last presidential election berated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its leaders over what they described as attempt by the opposition to incite Nigerians into chaos and anarchy.
The Tinubu/Shettima supporters were reacting to the decision by opposition leaders led by the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to protest at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the 2023 presidential poll.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, leaders of the Tinubu/Shettima group said Nigerians have accepted the outcome of the presidential election, and no Nigerian will agree to be coaxed into causing chaos in the country.
One of the leaders of the CSOs, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, stated: "Today we are here to throw weight behind the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect of Federal Republic of Nigeria and we are saying that as Civil Society Organisation, we will always be the watchdog of the society, we will be there always to guide the conscience of society and we also
"I want to add that no Nigerian will agree to be coaxed into causing chaos. We saw what happened yesterday where some elements of the opposition, who are supposed to be elder statesmen decided to take to the street in protest.
"They called on Nigerians to join them but Nigerians disappointed them because Nigerians have come to agree with the reality that the election was free and fair, so they decided to abandon the PDP elements. We want to appreciate Nigerians and encourage them to continue to stand on the Prof truth."
Also speaking, convener of the group, Dr. Lilian Ene Ogbole, noted that no real and patriotic Nigerian will join the opposition to cause crisis against Nigerians.
Dr Ogbole said the fact that certain people did not win the just concluded presidential election does not mean the country should go down.
She stated: "Nigeria was there before they came and Nigeria will continue after them. If we are pand we believe in Nigeria's project, and of course we believe that what we are doing by contesting an election is to build a better Nigeria for all and sundry. We will not in turn want to destroy that which we want to build because some people lost election.
"I want to thank Nigerians for rebuking the call for chaos. I want to thank Nigerians for rejecting the call for anarchy. I want to thank Nigerians for rejecting the call to disintegrate our country. Yes, what do you expect of a man with questionable nationality? What he owes the country that is not his is to destroy that country. But we bonafide Nigerians, patriotic Nigerians will not heed to that. We will reject any call to disintegrate our country, we will reject any call to ruin our country, we will reject any call to destroy us. Asiwaju Tinubu is the man the God has ordained.
"We want to thank particularly the INEC for a job Well done. There is nowhere in the world where elections are devoid of hitches. Nigeria is not an exception. Be that as it may, We will all agree to the fact that the just concluded presidential election is the most transparent one since independence in 1960, and any man or woman who says this election is not credible is just being unfair.
"We want to thank INEC for keeping to its word; we want yo thank President Muhammadu Buhari for creating an enabling environment for an improved electoral system in Nigeria.
"I want to talk to Nigerians very sincerely. This country is ours. We have nowhere else to call our own. If Nigeria goes down we all go down. Nigeria is our hope we must do everything possible to keep her standing.
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"We are not unaware of the movement of some elements we called themselves Patriots, I do not like to use abusive words on personalities."
While assuring Nigerians that they will see the difference within six months of Tinubu's administration, Ogbole said: "Nigerians have gone beyond certain levels, Asiwaju's victory is divine.
"Asiwaju's election right from day one has been God's project. Against all odds God showed himself strong. Against all odds God proved that the ways of men are not the ways of God and he emerged the winner. Yet there are rumours and speculations of rigging in the election. I am surprised because we are not ignorant of the pictures and videos going round on the social media.
"We have seen cases where the Labour Party rigged out of control, particularly in the South-east. The Suoth-east was a hub of rigging as far as the just concluded election is concerned. The Visuals are everywhere on the social media. They saw it as they are right to rig the election and these things are everywhere, but nobody is talking about it."
