President Muhammadu Buhari says
his single desire is to make sure that innocent Nigerians do not suffer
regardless of party affiliation.
He made the remarks on Friday
when Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State led his Deputy, Philip Shuaibu and
other party supporters to the State House on a thank-you-visit.
“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 counterforce to the government, arm
heavily-drugged thugs to go and humiliate people.”
“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 said he wished to leave behind a political
culture based on integrity despite his party losing the election.
“We have lost states across the
country. Now I do not like to escape the responsibility, seeing as the leader
of the country, I am also the leader of my party, that I am not leading the
party very well.
“I am trying to make sure that
the party is built on a civilised basis, rule of law and respect for human
rights and human beings, right from polling units to local governments, to
states up to Abuja and that’s what I have been insisting as my contribution to
the National Working Committee and executive of the party. I know we are a
developing country, a developing economy and trying to develop our political
culture. I want the development of political culture to be based on integrity
and accountability. Let people work very hard and earn what they are looking
for through their hard work and fair competition,” the President said.
He added jocularly that he was
congratulating the Edo governor “reluctantly” because he defeated the candidate
of his party, the All Progressives Congress.
In his remarks, Governor Obaseki
thanked the President for ensuring that fair play reigned during the election
which saw him victorious.
“You would recall a couple of
weeks before the election, I came to see you and you assured me that we were
going to have a free, peaceful and credible election. That is what we had
during the election of 19th September and the whole world has acclaimed that
the Edo election was perhaps one of the best conducted in recent times in
Nigeria. This could not have been possible without your insistence that the
right things be done and for that, we want to say thank you very much.”
He also thanked the President for
his congratulatory message, assuring him that the message “has been
internalised.
It is God that made this election
possible, therefore, I should be humble about the election and also magnanimous
in victory.”
He pledged his unalloyed loyalty
and support and that of the people of Edo State to the President and the
federal government.
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