President Bola Tinubu on Thursday appealed to members, aspirants and party leaders of the All Progressives Congress to conduct themselves as sportsmen and women as nationwide primaries kicked off.
Tinubu warned that rancorous behaviour would only serve the opposition and cautioning winners against gloating while urging losers to accept defeat with grace.
In a personal statement he released on Thursday, the eve of the commencement of House of Representatives primaries, Tinubu said the exercises were not merely platforms to produce standard bearers but a referendum on the APC’s unity, resilience and strength as a party entering its fourth election cycle.
He said, “In every contest, there will be a winner and a loser. I urge the winners not to gloat in victory and the losers to show sportsmanship by taking things in their stride and preparing for another time.
“The ultimate winners are those who don’t choose to wreck the boat but rather work to prepare for another round.
“Our opponents are waiting for us to be against each other; we should disappoint them.”
The president made a pointed reference to a mode of political engagement he said the party had left behind, invoking it precisely to warn against its return.
