Era of vote allocation over –Buhari


Nigeria has left that era in which democratic norms were brazenly subverted, with votes awarded to those favoured by the authorities, and the deprived told to go to court if they were not happy, President Muhammadu Buhari, has declared. 
President Buhari made the declaration yesterday while receiving members of the Joint United Nations, African Union and ECOWAS Good Offices Mission on Elections at the State House in Abuja. 
“I am highly qualified to talk on this, having ended in Supreme Court three times, after participating in elections with disputed results. Where will a man looking for where his next meal would come from, have money to hire lawyers, particularly senior advocates?” he asked rather rhetorically. 
He assured that the 2019 polls would be free and fair, stressing that, “the President has only one vote, governors have a vote each, just like anybody else. Let the people vote for whoever they choose, without their will being tampered with.”
Thanking the joint team for being in touch with our institutions, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the President said multi-party democracy gives lots of choice to the people, adding that Nigeria has a vibrant young population “who trust us to handle their affairs and resources well. A lot depends on leadership.”
The President said the 2015 elections were run with three campaign objectives; securing the country, reviving the economy, fighting corruption, “and the opposition has not succeeded in faulting us. We are doing our best with the resources available to us.”
In his remarks, President of ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Brou, said the team came on a solidarity visit to Nigeria before the forthcoming elections, as it did with other countries like Senegal, Mali, Gambia, and others which recently held their polls.
He appreciated the strong role Nigeria plays in the sub-region, while also thanking the President for his strides in the fight against corruption and terrorism.
Speaking on behalf of the UN visiting team, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, appreciated what he called “the strong leadership of President Buhari in Nigeria, West Africa, and Africa.”
“You’ve always played politics according to the rules. We will do all that we can to strengthen the institutions. We’re convinced that INEC is ready to provide free and fair elections,” he said.
 

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