Former President Goodluck Jonathan, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and his counterpart in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, have all congratulated Christians and Nigerians in general on the 2022 Christmas.
The elites prayed for peace, love, and unity in their separate Christmas messages, expressing hope for a better Nigeria even as 2023 approaches.
Jonathan, the country’s immediate predecessor before President Muhammadu Buhari, called for love, unity, and peace among Christians and others worldwide.
The former president made the call in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Ikechukwu Eze, on Friday, December 23, in Abuja, to mark the 2022 Christmas celebration.
Although Jonathan acknowledged that Nigerians had suffered a series of tragedies in recent months, he urged citizens to approach the Christmas season with optimism and renewed faith in themselves and the country.
He said:
At Christmas, we celebrate love, hope and joy, which the birth of Jesus heralds to the world.
As individuals and as a nation, we face different challenges. But we should not allow that to weaken our faith in God and our country, as well as imperil our shared promise of greatness and prosperity.
Let us exhibit love, tolerance, a sense of unity and peace towards our neighbours and all around us during this season and beyond.
Peter Obi‘s Christmas Message To Nigerians
The Labour Party presidential candidate, for his part, urged Nigerians to remain hopeful for a better country, particularly as they prepare for the 2023 general elections.
WITHIN NIGERIA reports that Obi made this call yesterday in Awka, Anambra State, where he was a former governor, in his 2022 Christmas Message to Nigerians.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Dr Valentine Obienyem, the former governor preached love while reinforcing the reason for the season, noting that the Christmas season gave birth to hope in the world.
Obi urged Nigerians to be optimistic about a better and more productive country.
He reiterated that Christmas was still a season of love, and that the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth should serve as a constant reminder of how God gave His only begotten son for the salvation of humanity.
The presidential hopeful said;
We, as humans should, therefore, endeavour to make sacrifices, even when it is painful, for the good of others and for our society.
He encouraged Nigerians to go beyond the festivities and glamour associated with the Christmas season and strive to live out the true essence of the celebration.
Bola Tinubu‘s Christmas Message To Nigerians
Meanwhile, former Lagos State Governor and APC standard bearer for the 2023 presidential election, Akinwunmi Ambode, has stated that despite political differences, Nigeria must move forward despite its challenges.
Tinubu felicitated with his opponents as Christians mark this year’s Christmas. In a statement made available to newsmen, Tinubu said;
No matter our political differences, we are all Nigerians and we must move this nation forward.
Thus, let the hope symbolised by this season of celebration also herald our renewed hope in the Nigeria of our dreams. May the joy and great gift of this Christmas be the renewed hope that we can and will forge a better Nigeria with the help and guidance of Almighty God above.