Three time Presidential candidate, and chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) General Muhammadu Buhari, today said that elections must be free and fair as part of deepening democracy in Nigeria.
Three time Presidential candidate, and chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) General Muhammadu Buhari, today said that elections must be free and fair as part of deepening democracy in Nigeria.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
Buhari, in a live stream interview with Liberty Radio SaharaReporters, followed in New York, also said that Nigerians deserve credible and responsible leadership.
He said, “Elections must be free and fair. We have been to court three times in 2003, 2007 and 2011, not because we were convinced that we were going to win. We went because we want to make sure that this multi-party democracy takes a firm grip on Nigerians.
“If we can come and go, the system will be strong enough to guarantee security for this country and guarantee prosperity for this country. This is our objective. All we are fighting for is to have proper democracy. What I mean is that whatever people say, whether they reflect briefly on it or not, Nigerians are now well aware of their right and what they expect from government.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });
“Like I have said, we have to properly secure and manage this country. You cannot deny citizens their rights to express their own opinion or you allow some people to brazenly threaten the cooperate existence of the country, and instead of inviting them and asking them to explain themselves to the nation, they are given a ride in a Presidential jet.”
General Buhari also lamented over a recent spate of harassment of citizens over freedom of expression:
“When others do it, you go and lock them up or you harass them. That is not the way to do things. For example, when the seven governors decided to break out from the PDP and we went and visited them; five of the governors took the risk.
“One of the governors still have problem with the police, his children were arrested, and the bank officials that transacted business with his children were locked up. Those are children of governors. You can imagine what will then happen to children of ordinary Nigerians.”
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });