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The Social Democratic Party has accepted the result of the Saturday presidential election result as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
SDP national chairman Shehu Gabam stated this at a news conference on the outcome of the presidential election, in Abuja on Thursday.
“However, every party has the right to protest, but we are not party to any protest,” he said.
Mr Gabam said despite the challenges witnessed during the election, SDP stood by INEC’s declaration of Bola Tinubu of APC as Nigeria’s president-elect.
He said that the party came sixth in the presidential election, and won two senatorial and four House of Representatives seats and that, while the party would not challenge the presidential election in court, it would challenge the federal parliamentary polls in places it believed the SDP won.
He pledged the party’s continued support for its candidates in the state elections, expressing the confidence that SDP would win some governorship and state Houses of Assembly seats.
Mr Gabam said SDP was not party to any protests against the February 25 elections and did not issue any directives in that regard.
He noted that the election had its challenges including the use of Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) and the uploading of election results on INEC Result Viewing Portal.
The SDP chair advised candidates and other aggrieved parties to seek redress peacefully and legally.
Mr Gabam commended INEC, urging it to perfect its system before the March 11 governorship and house of assembly elections.
“The election has been won and lost. What is right in the true interest of our country, is for all grievances to be addressed through the appropriate channels and very responsibly. Our party believes strongly in the nation’s judicial system as capable of addressing the various issues from the elections, concerns expressed, and for it to always do the needful,” said the SDP leader.
He added, “The SDP call on the political class and the general public to eschew violence in their actions and pronouncements. They should in practical terms and manifestly, work for peace and social order in the larger interest of our country.”
Mr Gabam advised the judiciary to be fair to all political parties and candidates that would be seeking redress on the election.
“They have the responsibility to prove to the world and Nigerians that they would be fair and just to all parties,” he stated. “Our law must work irrespective of whoever is involved.”
He congratulated the president-elect, Mr Tinubu on his victory, urging him to take deliberate and practical steps to bring other candidates as well as other aggrieved parties on board in his administration., especially to “bring the country together through a government of national unity to fix our obvious national cracks, address the failings, heal the land and fast-track the process of national reconciliation.”
(NAN)
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