The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Saturday presidential election, , Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Monday called for caution in Lagos State, saying that the victory of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, over the APC, should not be reason for violence in Lagos.
The Director, Media and Publicity, of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Monday, declared that “the APC candidate further said that as a democrat he is bound to accept the outcome of any election whether favourable or not.”
Tinubu kicked against reports of violence in some parts of Lagos State, the attacks on Igbo traders, dissociating himself from any form of violence against people of any ethnic group in Lagos.
The statement further indicated: “The fact that the APC narrowly lost Lagos State to another party should not be the reason for violence.
“As a democrat, you win some, you lose some. We must allow the process to continue unhindered across the country while we maintain peace and decorum.”
Tinubu had won 11 of the 20 local government areas, and Obi own in 9, but the LP had the majority votes of 582,454, while the APC had 572,606 votes.
There were reports of attack on Igbo traders on Lagos Island in the early hours of Monday.
Generally, there has been tension in the state since the presidential election on Saturday. The tension compelled many traders and artisans to shutdown businesses and closed their shops on Monday.
In several parts of the state, including the popular computer village in Ikeja, majority of the shops were securely locked as traders stayed off the market.
Police officers were sighted patrolling the streets of Ikeja and its environs on Monday. The roads were deserted, the usual traffic congestion also disappeared on the ever-busy roads from Ojodu Berger, to Agidingbi, down to Awolowo road, among others.
Meanwhile, Tinubu’s statement could help in making the ‘boys’ retreat, then, reduce tension and restore normalcy in the state.