APC campaign: We’ll defend Tinubu’s mandate by every means necessary

The agro commodities directorate in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council says it will defend the victory of Bola Tinubu by “every means necessary”.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election after securing 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 6,984,520, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) who polled 6,101,533.

Atiku and Obi have filed petitions at the presidential election tribunal challenging the victory of Tinubu.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, Bello Abubakar, head of the directorate, said Tinubu won because of his “proven records” as governor.

“Let us be clear, the president and vice president-elect have the nation’s mandate. The mandate is a trust to them based on their proven records in Lagos and Borno states and their excellent administrative prowess over the years as well as sustained nationalism,” Abubakar said.

“We urged those that are not satisfied with the result of the election, to use the court as provided by the constitution and be peaceful doing so.

“Violence pays nobody. Let it be on record that as the largest voting Bloc in Nigeria, we are standing by the mandate of H.E Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and we will defend it by every means necessary.”

Also speaking, Shehu Muazu, a member of the PCC and national coordinator for the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, said the federal government should compensate farmers for losses incurred due to the naira policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“We have a president-elect, who is yet to be in office,” Muazu said.

“However, the directorate wants to call on the president His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari – now that the supreme court has spoken and we all know the consequences of that hardship, we are not saying anybody should be punished, we should be forgiving as we have been directed by our principal.

“However, we call on the federal government of today to put in place policies that will help to alleviate the losses incurred by farmers.”