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Thursday 7 May 2015

I’ll Overhaul Electoral Process To Make Elections Credible – President-Elect Gen. Buhari

BUHARI-
President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has declared that he will overhaul the electoral management body as well as reposition the electoral process to make elections more credible in Nigeria.
Buhari also hinted that he would reposition the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), to bring more professionalism, objectivity and integrity to their operations.

Buhari made these comments yesterday in Abuja at the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council office while receiving a delegation from Taraba State All Progressives Congress (APC) who were in Abuja to congratulate him on his victory at the recent poll.
“I think that 2015 will go down in Nigeria political history as a glorious year. Nigerians have deliberately understood what multi-party democracy is. But we thank God for technology, for the PVC and the card reader. If not this luck we had with technology and the insistence of constituencies to make sure they were used (we would not have won).In two political zones where they were subverted, the people wanted to vote, but they were not allowed to vote.
“They continued with what they used to do in their party offices or their sitting rooms: write the results, go to radio house and television house and announce the result and say whoever does not want the result should go to court. How many people can go to court when they are struggling to get the next day’s meal? Where will they get the millions to give to those Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs).
“I was able to do it because of the goodwill of Nigeria, which again demonstrated itself this year. People agreed that I am not a very rich man, but I was lucky that Nigerians believe in me and they put their strength together, voted and made sure that their votes counted. I say thanks to the technology.”
Buhari advised his visitors to always support those they feel would work for their state and for the country just as he assured them that his incoming government would work for the people.
“We will never betray the people because they have risked everything. Some even lost their lives for this cause to make sure that APC succeeds and that we have a leadership in place that they trust. It’s what multi-party democracy is all about.
“I will tell you what made me a multi-party democrat. In 1991, after coming out of detention, I was sitting at home and the Soviet Union collapsed. They were the world power fighting the western world. In technology, they were the first to go to space in 1967 and they had more intercontinental war heads than NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation). They had more sophisticated weapons, but something happened. There was confusion and everybody went their way. Today, there’re 18 countries in the former Soviet Union. That was when I believed that multi-party democratic system is a superior form of governance and that is why I joined democracy.”
He noted that the country had made gains in its democratic growth this year, adding that further progress would be made in the coming years.
“We have made a big stride this year and I assure you, God willing, if we survive the next four years, Nigerians will be in a position to confidently raise their head and elect their own representatives and leaders. They will choose those they want as their representatives at the local governments, states and the centre. I will fight for free, fair and credible election because that is why I remained in politics.”
Buhari encouraged the Taraba State APC governorship candidate, Senator Aisha Alhassan, not to give up her political struggle but rather to emulate his resilience towards recovering her mandate.
Senator Allhassan, who led the delegation, appealed to the president- elect to develop the Mambila power plant as well as undertake the construction of roads and bridge across the state.

APC Can’t Stampede Jonathan Out Of Office – Presidency
The presidency has advised the APC to talk less and plan more as the nation moves towards the May 29 handover date, saying the party cannot stampede the outgoing president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, out of office.
Special adviser to the president on political affairs, Prof Rufai Ahmed Alkali, who made the presidency’s position known yesterday, was reacting to the alarm raised by the APC that President Jonathan was running the economy aground before handing over.
“The allegation is immature, reckless and out of tune with the president’s desire and patriotic commitment to a peaceful transfer of power,” Alkali said, urging the APC to give space to the joint transition committee to work in harmony to ensure a peaceful and seamless transition.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Alkali said: “Nigerians will recall that shortly after the result of the presidential election was announced, President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated a high-powered transition committee to plan and organize a hitch-free transition programme for the inauguration of the incoming administration.
“Surprisingly, it took the APC more than three weeks to wake up to its responsibility to constitute its own transition committee. How then can they turn round to accuse the government of frustrating the transition programme?”
Alkali reminded the APC that since the setting up of the committee, the president and the entire machinery of the federal government had been put on the transition mode and all government officers had been giving maximum cooperation to the incoming transition committee.
He cautioned the APC to refrain from blackmailing the president over recent federal government policies and decisions saying that going by the Nigerian constitution, Jonathan will remain president till May 29, 2015, when he will formally hand over to the president-elect.
He, however, declared that “the machinery of government cannot be put on hold or frozen because of the country is in transition.”
On the allegations that government is running the economy aground, he reminded APC that “governance is a serious business”, adding that with the sudden and unexpected concession of victory to them, “it appears that the APC is beginning to face the full reality of managing the great challenges of a complex nation”.
He continued: “Their (APC’s) recent, frequent and unnecessary attacks on the president clearly shows that they are losing their nerves and are beginning to lay foundation to justify their failures in the near future, and we want to remind them that Nigerians are not ready to accept any excuses for their failure.
“They promised to bring change so they must bring positive change to the well-being of Nigerians and urgently too.”

PDP Heading For Self-destruction – Mark
Unless the in-fighting in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is stopped immediately, the party may be heading for final destruction, Senate President David Mark has warned party members.
MarkA worried Senator Mark, in a terse media statement issued by his chief press secretary, Paul Mumeh, over the continued acrimony among factions in the party, frowned that “the PDP is already haemorrhaging,” pointing out that “unless we halt the bleeding and find the necessary therapy, we may be heading for the final burial of the party.”
He sounded this warning yesterday when the deputy Senate president Ike Ekweremadu, who heads the PDP post-election assessment committee visited him yesterday.
Mark said: “The party is already in a comatose status and we should do all we can to resuscitate the party rather than this unnecessary rancour and bulk passing.
“The emerging factions are absolutely unnecessary. The combatants must sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue. My appeal is that we should not do anything further that would damage the already fragmented house.
“Everybody should come together and rebuild the party. We have gotten enough bruises. We need not inflict further pains on ourselves, with continuous bickering. Enough of this blame-game. We should return to the drawing board and need not wash our dirty linen in the public, anymore.”
He expressed hope that the party had learnt useful lessons from its electoral loss and it was time to forge ahead.
“I trust Senator Ekweremadu – that he and his team will do a good job and unearth the remote and immediate causes of our misfortune and make recommendations that will enhance the future of the party. I have worked closely with the deputy president of the Senate over the years and I know his capability and capacity to handle issues.”
Senator Mark called on all stakeholders to rise above the present circumstances and work hard to rejuvenate the party, adding that the new status of the party as an opposition “is a challenge which we must face with all honesty, sincerity of purpose and dedication to duty.”
According to him, the country would be better for it “if we play credible opposition to ensure good governance and delivery of dividends of democracy to Nigerians”.
Via - Leadership

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