Chairman Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof Itse Sagay has explained why Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the February 25 presidential election and why Atiku Abubakar of PDP and Peter Obi of Labour Party lost.
Sagay, a phone-in guest on Sunday Politics, a Channels Television programme, also discredited numerous opinion polls that tipped Obi ahead of other contenders in the race.
“I was not surprised that Tinubu won. I had no faith in those polls. You just pick up your phones, sought views in urban areas.
“Look, do you know the views in massive northern population? Were they contacted? Nobody contacted them and their views were not taken into consideration. So, it was poorly exercised polls.
“It is a very unfortunate thing that those polls set up the stage that the LP was going to win. I, throughout the exercise of the polls, was just laughing.
“You picked up views of few in the urban centres to represent Nigeria when Nigeria has massive rural population.
“That was why there was such a contradiction between the results of those polls and the eventual result of the election. Those polls were not credible.”
He said: “For those who were very upset about the result because they were expecting to win, they have resorted to the court for objective jurists to look at the issue.
“And even if they fail at that level, they should look up to another four years when there will be general election.
“It is not a one-time exercise; it is something that will be done every four years and what I will suggest and advice those who failed, particularly, the LP is to go to the grassroots and begin to organise. They had no organisation.
“If you look at the performance of the Labour Party during the governorship election, it was an indication that the LP has no root in the country but was clearly a hurricane that just blew through the land at the time.
“So, what I will suggest to them is to begin to put their root on the ground instead of quarrelling, fighting and abusing everybody. They should start planning and organising in Tinubu’s way.
“We have to give to him (Tinubu) that he is a super organiser. This election showed that organisation in which his victory spread across the whole country except the Southeast.
“So, the LP has to begin to plan and organise in preparation for the next election in 2027. But, if they fail to do so, that will be a disaster.”
Dismissing allegation of wide manipulation of the poll, the eminent lawyer said the general election was credible.
He said the president-elect had good organisation and planning in place.
According to him Tinubu’s widespread victory, validated Tinubu’s ability to plan ahead.
He said he was not surprised over the outcome of the election, as the president-elect had super organisation and planning far ahead of others.
These, he added, gave him an edge over others in the race.
Attesting that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) worked so well in the last election, the senior advocate appealed to those that lost out to allow the judiciary to do its job without any threat.
Sagay, who admitted that there were few challenges with the election, said the election was the best in Nigeria in comparison to past elections.
He said: “There could be few challenges, but no evidence of large manipulation of the election as being claimed. The BVAS was used successfully.
“Can you imagine the All Progressives Congress (APC) losing Lagos? I mean that should tell you that the BVAS worked. For that to happen, that tells you that the election was credible.
“It is unheard of for APC to lose Lagos in over 23 years.
In other areas like the Northwest, Atiku won because he comes from that side.
“But what made Tinubu to win was that where he was not number one, he was closely number two. This election is the best Nigeria has ever had.
“Tinubu was number one in the Southwest, number one in the North-central.
“Look at the north’s results, where Tinubu was not number one, he was close number two. So, he was able to marshal votes all over the country except in the Southeast. The others were not able to achieve this feat.”
On the judiciary, Sagay said: “I pray that the Nigerian judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court lives up to expectation because it is the highest court in the land. So, let the judges go into this matter, look at it judicially and judiciously, using all their knowledge and experiences to do the needful.
“Let them not handle the case due to pressure or threat by anybody. I pray the judiciary in the end, takes right decision in this case.”
Adapted from The Nation
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