Buhari pledges electoral reforms, good governance

The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, has reassured Nigerians that he will not betray their trust, as he assumes office on May 29.

Buhari, who gave this assurance while receiving a delegation of supporters of the All Progressives Congress from Taraba State at his campaign headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, also promised to further reform the nation’s electoral process.

The delegation which was led by the party’s standard bearer in the last governorship election, Senator Aisha Alhassan, was in Abuja to congratulate Buhari on his electoral victory.

He also assured them that the incoming administration would ensure greater reforms of the electoral process to make sure that Nigerians not only vote, but that their votes count so that “Nigerians can elect leaders of their choice.”

The president-elect also explained that the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 fuelled his belief in multi-party democracy as the best form of governance.

He also promised to push for further electoral reforms to ensure that the vote of ordinary Nigerians count in future elections.

The President-elect said he was overwhelmed by the sacrifices made by Nigerians whom he said risked everything to not only vote, but ensure that their votes counted.

He said, “I assure you that the government that the APC will eventually put in place will be effective. We will never betray the people because people risked everything; some lost their lives for this cause to make sure that they vote the leadership they believe in, the leadership they trust in this multi-party democracy.”

The president-elect said 2015 would go down in Nigeria’s history as the most glorious year because Nigerians deliberately voted and their votes were allowed to count.

According to him, most Nigerians agree that he is not a rich man but that he counts himself lucky that Nigerians believe in him and the APC.

While encouraging Alhassan not to give up, he enjoined the people to continue to support those they feel would go and serve them.

Buhari said, “Aisha, don’t give up. You are younger and this is your first attempt. I contested three times and this is my fourth attempt. I hope that you succeed in the court. I hope you will win in the court.

“But we thank God for technology-PVC and card reader. If not this luck we had with technology and the insistence of constituencies to make sure they were used, 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 — go to their party offices or their seating 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.”