Election: Don’t Fail In Your Promises Of Free, Fair, Credible Outcome – Former Secretary

By Tom Okpe Abujà Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has called on the President, Muhammadu Buhari, to demonstrate his widely trumpeted integrity by being faithful to his promise to ensure a free, fair and credible elections tomorrow (Saturday) and on the 2nd of March, 2019. Frank in a statement in Abuja on Friday said Nigerians now find it extremely difficult to believe the President’s in view of his past broken pledges, especially his latest assurances during his nationwide broadcast on Thursday to ensure peaceful, free and fair polls. He noted that because the President is never in charge, his promises are most often thwarted by forces he surrounds himself with, therefore, Nigerians cannot rely on his promise until after tomorrow’s elections.  The statement said: “It is good that president Buhari has once again pledged to ensure that tomorrow’s elections are free, fair and credible. That is what Nigerians and the world expect of him at this time save for the fact that those who are out to frustrate and rig the elections on his behalf are people he supervises directly. “If the President is serious with his promise, let him stop the security agencies, especially the police, military and the DSS from intimidating and harassing Nigerians especially opposition party leaders as we count down to the first election tomorrow.  “If the President is serious, let him warn the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, all National Commissioners of INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioners, staff and all adhoc staff of the agency to abide by their oath of office which is to put Nigeria first above personal and selfish gain during these elections. “He should also stop the plot to disable GSM and internet signals nationwide in order to frustrate voters and election observers from communicating, sharing information and comparing notes”. Frank urged the President to emulate former President Goodluck Jonathan whose commitment to democratic ideals led to a highly acceptable electoral outcome in 2015 and a peaceful transmission of power to the then opposition APC adding; “Mr. President, I dare say that the brazen rigging of Ekiti and Osun elections conducted under your very watch make your latest assurances fall on deaf ears. “In fact, Ekiti and Osun elections marked the height of your administration’s brazenness and desperation to win all elections at all cost. You even alluded to this misnomer in your speech in Osun, when you said the governorship election in the state was won by “remote control”. He insisted that Nigerians will only believe his “free and fair elections’ promise if tomorrow election is conducted in an atmosphere devoid of intimidation, harassment, violence and rigging by the APC, INEC and security agencies.