Buhari Congratulates Brazil’s New President, Lula Da Silva

•Labour party says his victory a red card for APC

Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Wale Igbintade in Lagos

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, congratulated Brazil’s newly elected President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on winning a hard-fought, divisive runoff election.

But the Labour Party, which also congratulated the Brazilian leader, said his victory signposted a red card for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nigeria.

However, in congratulating the new leader on staging ‘an astonishing comeback’ after leaving office and serving jail term, the President, in a statement by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, said he hoped that Lula would further enhance the excellent relations between Nigeria and Brazil.

President Buhari stressed that he looked forward to working together with him “to continue the excellent bilateral cooperation and growing trade relations between our two countries.”

On its part, the Labour Party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Arabambi Abayomi, described Lula’s Victory as a red card to the APC led government, saying APC should begin to prepare its handover notes and should not think of getting the third term by proxy.

Arabambi said Lula’s Victory showed that power in a democracy belonged to the People, and therefore advised that Nigerians should learn to take their destiny into their hands by voting the ‘Hawks’ out of power next year.

He said Lula represented the People, adding that the much-touted power of incumbency and so-called structures were not a determinant to elect leaders.