Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State will determine how prepared Nigeria is for the 2019 general elections.
According to CEOAFRICA’s source, Premium times, Buhari said same was applicable to the forthcoming national and state assembly rerun elections in Rivers State.
Buhari, who was speaking on Monday in Edo State during a state dinner to mark his visit to the state, directed security agencies to do their utmost in ensuring violence-free elections in both states.
“What happened in (the last elections) Kogi, Bayelsa and Rivers state disturbs me a lot,” a statement released by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, quoted the president as saying.
“I think we should go beyond these actions. Why do we kill each other? Putting tyres on people and setting them ablaze.
“I have told the law enforcement agencies, if we can’t conduct an election in one state then we should forget about 2019,” the president said.
President Buhari was said to have acknowledged the role the outgoing governor of Edo, Adams Oshiomhole, in ensuring that the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the recent governorship election in the state.
The president challenged the governor-elect, Godwin Obaseki, to continue in Mr Oshiomhole’s footsteps of providing purposeful leadership in terms of quality infrastructure, education and social services.
“The publicity your predecessor has given his performance is going to stretch you to the limit,” the president told the governor-elect.
“Considering what he has done, you have to continue in his footsteps. We wish you the best of luck and will do our best to support you.”
On the current economic challenges in the country, the president assured Nigerians that his administration was working hard on diversification of the economy to limit the country’s over-dependence on oil over the years.
“This country has incredible mineral resources. All we need is to believe in ourselves so that we can have and leave a better Nigeria for our children and grandchildren,” he said.
