Atiku with PDP's Flag. |
Protocols
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I
find it necessary to, firstly, pay tribute to every member of our great party,
and our long-suffering people who directly bear the costs of the cancellation
of the first phase of our general elections that was to commence on February
16th, 2019.
I
am sure we can all relate to the losses and burden on our citizens who
travelled to various destinations for the exercise.
This
is in addition to the burden on election personnel willing to sacrifice in
furtherance of our democracy.
Inadequately
prepared and yet deployed to hostile centers, these personnel, like us all,
have also become victims of the potentially destructive path upon which our
country has been thrust.
Nevertheless,
together we stand poised on the edge of victory, but we must not let down our
guard or lessen our resolve as we have an opponent who will stop at nothing to
retain power.
Our
goal is not to gain power for our own sake, but for the people of our country
who have been so hard hit by four years of APC cluelessness and incompetence.
Four
years which have seen 14 million more of our people without jobs, more of our
people killed than ever before and more of our people living in extreme poverty
than any other nation on this planet.
Let
us not forget that in the last three years of the last PDP, administration
Nigeria had become the largest economy in Africa and in each of those years, we
had the fastest growth rate in our continent.
And
so true to our values and commitment to chart a new path for our beloved
country, our campaigns have been issues based, offering Nigerians hope for a better
tomorrow; while demanding free, fair, transparent and credible elections from
the government.
The
feedback from our supporters throughout the country confirmed their desire and
willingness to entrust their destiny to us as a viable alternative to their
hopelessness.
However,
it now appears that our participatory democracy which we have enjoyed for 20
years, which empowers our citizens to decide who leads them, is under threat.
This
is worrisome, considering the great sacrifices including the ultimate sacrifice
made by many to uphold the tenets of democracy in our country.
You
will recall that during the Peace Accord process, I stated in clear terms,
quoting former President Goodluck that “my ambition is not worth the blood of
any Nigerian.”
Today,
I call on President Buhari, to make that same commitment to the people whose
mandate he holds, while also urging all security agencies to uphold our
constitution with an understanding that voting is a civil activity and civic
responsibility.
The
Nigerian military is constitutionally responsible for protecting our national
integrity and its borders and has no role to play in the conduct of elections.
Additionally,
I call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), once again to remain
impartial arbiters while ensuring that they conduct credible elections, this
time around.
INEC
must ensure that all logistical challenges are addressed between now and
Saturday, the 23rd, and that all materials retrieved from the field
are inspected by participating political parties before the commencement of the
elections.
My
fellow Nigerians and party men and women, I am certain that you have also
keenly followed with interest, utterances from the leadership of the All
Progressive Congress (APC) and Gen. Buhari, which is a painful reminder of the
era of dictatorship and military rule.
Gen
Buhari has repeatedly violated the constitution and failed to uphold the rule
of law, recent instances include the unconstitutional suspension of the Chief
Justice of Nigeria, the day before he was to appoint the judges for the
electoral tribunals that will decide any appeals of whether any of our
elections were subject to manipulation.
Thereby
crossing the immutable line that divides the Executive from the Judiciary.
Alas,
my concerns do not end there. Only yesterday Gen. Buhari said “the military and
police should be ruthless” and “anybody who disturbs the voting system, will do
it at the expense of his own life.”
It
is quite shocking for any head of state to utter such words in a democracy. A
pre-condition for ‘free, fair and credible’ elections is that the people are
able to cast their vote without fear of violence.
Elected
into office by the votes of the people in what is considered Nigeria’s most
free, fair and credible election, you owe it to our people to let them give
their verdict in the same way you were elected.
We
must now turn our attention to the upcoming elections this Saturday, where the
destiny of our people and country will resoundingly be decided.
In
spite of last week's disappointment, I urge all Nigerians to come out and vote
for the candidate of their choice, keeping in mind our desire to build a
democratic and economically viable nation that will be respected amongst the
league of democratic nations.
So,
let me reassure you my friends: we are going to win these elections. And to our
long-suffering citizens, I say do not despair, our time is now, and together we
shall reshape the destiny of our beloved country.
Together
we can make Nigeria work again.
God
bless you and God bless Nigeria.
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