2015 Elections Must Be Free And Fair, Says Buhari

National leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has said that the mission of the opposition party is to ensure that proper multi-party democracy takes firm root in the country.

Speaking on Kaduna based radio station, Liberty FM on the forthcoming nationwide membership registration of the APC, the former presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progress Change (CPC) in the 2011 Presidential elections decried what he called insecurity and management of the Nigerian nation, adding that APC intends to properly secure and manage the nation since Nigerians are now well aware of their rights and what they expect from government.

Buhari, who has contested the presidential election on three different occasions noted that it was because of his belief in multi-party democracy that he went to court to challenge the result of previous elections, adding that the nation’s electoral system will only get better when people come and go.

His words: “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 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 rights and what they expect from government.

“We have to secure this country and manage it properly. I think people have suffered enough, they are now prepared to listen and I believe they are listening and are cooperating. We have been convinced that since 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed without a shot being fired that multi party democratic system is superior. But elections must be free and fair”.

General Buhari also decried the recent spate of harassment of citizens over freedom of expression.

“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 presidential jets.

“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, 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. There is this problem of insecurity in the land, both physical and material which the All Progressive Congress is about to whip out God willing”, Buhari said.