Gloating over disputed election victory shameful, LP says in reaction to Tinubu’s inaugural speech

*Calls his speech shallow, lacking substance

By KEMI KASUMU

The inaugural speech of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, delivered at the Eagle Square Abuja, on Monday during his swearing in ceremony, has been trashed as one that is shallow and lacks substance.

A prominent opposition, the Labour Party, stated this while reacting to the speech it described as disappointing as, according to the party, it failed to provide a clear road map about how his administration intends to navigate Nigeria out its current socio-economic despair.

It said the Presidential address exposed the shallowness and policy incongruity that his administration, while it lasts, is hoping to bequeath Nigerians.

National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, said this in the party’s official response to President Tinubu’s inaugural speech, in Abuja, on Monday.

The opposition party which came third in the 2023 general elections as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, said,  “First, the President described “the election that brought him to power as tough but fairly won”.

“He also said that today was the proudest day of his life. However, we consider that speech as defective in many ways.

“Late President Umaru Yar’Adua, recall, on the inauguration of his government did state that the election that brought him to power was flawed and imperfect but he promised that he was going to fix the electoral system.

“But today, Nigerians were aghast with the boldness and glee with which Tinubu declared his election as fair.

“We consider this audacity as a slap on the faces of millions of Nigerians who voted their conscience but were robbed by a collective power of state institutions and brute bringandry unleashed on them.

“Nigerians will not forget in a hurry that unction by the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Tinubu to “grab power and run with it”, a directive that was effected on the February 25 election day.

“What was witnessed today was a celebration of lies and deceit, and that explains why the streets are like grave yards with no pomp and pageantry usually associated with a major feat like what we had today.

“Again, Labour Party while campaigning told Nigerian that if given the privilege to preside, we will among other things change our economy from consumption to production and we provided tangible ways we can achieve that policy.”

The LP Spokesman further said, “Listening to President Tinubu today reading a speech believed to have been penned by his team, it became obvious that we are returning to the 2015 era where we had great expectations but without any means achieving them.

“In the last eight years, Nigerians were constantly fed with the narratives that the previous government of the PDP brought the economic and political calamity upon the nation.

“In all those years, the Buhari government made little or no effort to improve upon these challenges. Nigeria is again about to be confronted with similar scenario, if not a worse scenario.

“We are now calling on the highest office in Nigeria, the office of the people, not to allow this government any space to toil with the destiny of this nation again.

“APC ruined this nation and we must not allow a worse situation again. We must wake up to our roles of holding to accountable those in position of authority.”