Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has hailed the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, stating that it is proof that Nigerians came out en masse and voted for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the Feb 25th polls.
It was reported earlier that the Presidential Tribunal, on Wednesday, rubbished the petitions of the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, challenging the declaration of Tinubu as the February 25th poll winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Joining a host of other government officials and Nigerians in reaction, Edu said the outcome of the Tribunal is a triumph of truth in favour of Tinubu over propaganda by the oppositions.
The Minister stated this in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday morning through her media aide, Rasheed Zubair.
Edu congratulated Tinubu on the victory, saying the verdict reflected the will of the Nigerian people as expressed in the February presidential election.
She said: “The tribunal’s affirmation of Tinubu as the duly elected president of Nigeria is a re-validation of the popular mandate Nigerians bestowed on him at the Presidential Polls on February 25th, 2023.
“Let me, on behalf of my ministry, Congratulate Mr. President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for his well-deserved victory at the tribunal.”
The Minister, however, appealed to opposition parties to join hands with the President in his efforts to build a better country.
She said: “Let me use this medium to appeal to my brothers who lost at the polls to place love for the country above politics and sentiments and join hands with the president to build a greater country.
“We have no other country except Nigeria, irrespective of party affiliation. So we owe it a duty to make our country work.
“Now that the tribunal has given a verdict, we should join hands to fight poverty and renew the hope of millions of Nigerians. This will help to reduce the humanitarian crises across the country.”
