FORMER president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr Olisa Agbakoba, on Wednesday appealed to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, to accept the outcome of the presidential election.
Agbakoba made the plea in a statement hours after Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, declared President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the poll.
The ex-NBA President, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said while he noted the ‘massive irregularities’ in the election, going to Election Petition Tribunal was not the right decision.
He explained that the voting pattern for the poll showed that ethnicity played a significant role in the exercise.
Agbakoba said he understood the grievance of the opposition party but a lot needed to be done in reforming the nation’s politics and the electoral process.
He, however, challenged Atiku not to lose sight of the legacy in his front and take up the mantle of a statesman.
Agbakoba also stressed the need to address the voting pattern in the country, adding that the same thing might repeat itself in the 2023 general elections.
