Edo polls: Buhari always allowed the will of the people to prevail —Nasir El-Rufai

Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai on Monday commenting on Edo poll said President Buhari has never used federal night to rig elections.

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 According to him, indications pointed out that the ruling party would emerge successful until three weeks to the gubernatorial election, however Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 307,955 to defeat Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who secured 223,619 votes.

 El–Rufai made this known when he featured on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television.

Daily Times understands that El-Rufai  said he was optimistic that the APC would win the election.

He said “unlike past governments”, Buhari allowed the will of the people to prevail in the election.

“We’d have loved to win. Quite frankly, I was optimistic up to three weeks ago because there was indication that we were going to win. I don’t know what happened in the last two, three weeks of the campaign. As you know, a large number of voters make up their minds in the last two weeks of election, many voters decide no matter what happens, this is how I’m voting, ” el-Rufai said.

“Three weeks ago, the polls clearly showed that APC is going to win but the results came out differently from what we expected. There was very little violence or none at all. So, Obaseki has won, that’s it.

“One thing that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has always done is to say that there must be free and fair elections and the people’s choice must prevail. The president has never used what is called federal might that other governments have used in the past to steal elections. We always insist that everyone should go and pitch to the people and may the best man win and we can live with it.”

Speaking further, Nasir El-Rufai said the state government would not allow the COVID-19 pandemic deter it from pursuing the development of Kaduna.