President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he insisted that the just concluded governorship election in Edo state must be free and fair to ensure that innocent Nigerians don’t suffer regardless of party affiliation.
Buhari stated this when the Edo state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy Philip Shaibu visited him, Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said, “I am supposed to preside over all Nigerian interests whether I like it or not, but my single desire is to make sure that innocent people don’t suffer. That message I got across to the Inspector General of Police, that elections must be free and fair.
“I thank you for bringing your deputy and supporters to come and see me after beating my party. I am supposed to preside over all Nigerian interests whether I like it or not, but my single desire is to make sure that innocent people don’t suffer. That message I got across to the Inspector General of Police, that elections must be free and fair.”
According to the President, “If contestants have too much money and they decide to spray, so be it, but what I insist is, nobody should go and raise a counter force to the government, arm heavily-drugged thugs to go and humiliate people.”
Speaking further he said: “I want Nigerians to appreciate that I respect them as Nigerians and that I am bound by the oath I have taken that their security is in the hands of God and in the hands of the government, which I am leading.”
President Buhari noted that as the leader of the governing party, and despite the fact that the party has lost some states in elections, he wishes to leave behind a political culture based on integrity.
Earlier, Obaseki told the President that: “We were privileged to meet with the President, essentially to express the gratitude of Edo People, myself and my deputy for the role for the conduct of gubernatorial elections in Edo State. You insisted that Nigeria should have proper elections, credible elections, free and fair elections and that is what happened.
“So, we are here in the Villa to show our profound gratitude and appreciation for this, which on the surface will look normal but the implications are very far reaching. This is a seating president whose party was contesting an election and insisted that the right thing be done and a level playing field be created for contestants and that singular action has deepened our democracy, far beyond what we can understand and imagine today.”
Obaseki, who prayed against being a “godfather”, said “it’s dangerous to the concept of democracy,” adding that it would be worse than military rule when people who had no checks and balances “arbitrarily decide the way the constitution should be interpreted or constitutional players should operate.”
