In Christmas message: Buhari says commitment to free, fair polls not a ruse

…Urges Nigerians to build relationships outside ethnic, religious, political divides …APC, PDP task Nigerians on nation-building President Muhammadu Buhari has reaffirmed his avowed commitment to free, fair, credible and violence-free polls in 2019. President Buhari stated this on Monday in his Christmas message to Nigerians, just as he admonished Nigerians across ethnic, religious and political divides to set aside their differences and work for the good of the country. He assured that his promise to conducting a credible election “is not a ruse or yet another vain political promise. My word is my bond.” “It is a sworn declaration on the advancement of Nigeria, the future and safety of our young and unborn generations,” Buhari stated. According to the president, with general elections around the corner and heightened political activities across the country, “I have charged our security and law enforcement agencies to secure the sanctity of the ballot box and ensure that the outcome of the polls reflect the will of the Nigerian people. “Let us tell the world that, indeed, ‘‘something good’’ can come out from Nigeria. And it will happen, as we all team up to make it happen”. Admonishing Nigerians on Christmas, Buhari said: “We can put back smiles on the faces of the grieving, the displaced and the troubled, if we show a little love and recommit ourselves to building relationships with those outside our ethnic, religious and socio-political divides”. He urged everyone especially Christians to remember many others who cannot be with their families this time, as they celebrate Christmas, exchange gifts, pray and visit loved ones. “I felicitate with all Nigerians, particularly our Christian brothers and sisters, on the joyous occasion of this year’s Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. “Like I have done in the last three Christmas messages to my fellow compatriots as a serving President, I believe this season is another opportunity to reflect on the imagery of the humble, symbolic and divine birth of a young child thousands of years ago in Bethlehem, Judea, and the message of hope, compassion, salvation, reconciliation, forgiveness and peace that Jesus Christ embodies and conveys,” President Buhari said. He noted that in 2018, Nigerians have had mixed blessings, typical of human beings. On the pleasant side, he said that the economy has made significant progress since coming out from recession and his administration’s faithful implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). He said that agricultural revolution has seen a vastly improved local production to the detriment of importation, while the nation has achieved surplus in its trade balance. Also, he said that infrastructural deficit has been greatly reduced with significant improvements in roads, railways, aviation and power. “We have not relented in the fight against corruption while the business environment has been improved through institutional reforms. “On the downside, we have seen so many unnecessary deaths caused by violent clashes between neighbours, who ordinarily should complement and support one another. “We cannot bring back the lives lost to floods, unfortunate fire disasters, road accidents, farmers/herders clashes and insurgency. “Our brave Armed Forces, and other security men and women who make incredible sacrifices to keep us safe, the aged, the sick, physically challenged persons, all deserve our goodwill in this season of love and sharing. “Together we can show generosity to our neighbours and demonstrate the diversity that makes Nigeria unique – a land with a beautiful climate and vegetation, beaming with an energetic and creative youth population. “We must not also forget that what lies ahead of us as a nation is better than whatever we must have experienced in the past,” the President stated. Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has felicitated with Christians and indeed all Nigerians on the joyous occasion of Christmas which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, urging Nigerians to pray for the country and its leaders. The party in a press statement on Monday signed by its national spokesman, Mallam Lànre Issah- Onilu said: “As we gather with family and friends for the Christmas festivities which is characterised by gift-giving, social gatherings and feasting, we should remember and extend love and generosity to the less-privileged around us. “We should also emulate the virtues of Jesus Christ exemplified by self-sacrifice”. The APC called on Nigerians to use the joyous occasion to pray for the nation’s leaders and the peace, progress and socio-economic development of the country. However, the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PPCO) has charged Nigerians to use the occasion of this year’s Christmas to pray for the nation and focus on their collective resolve to vanquish oppressive forces and build a peaceful, united and prosperous country, where all citizens will live without fear. The Director, Media and Publicity of PPCO, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, called on the citizenry to collective pray for the deliverance of the country from the present political, social and economic quagmire. He said: “The birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour, signifies the triumph of light over darkness and offers Nigerians the new hope and spiritual impetus in their shared quest for a brighter future for our nation under a new administration. “This year’s Christmas celebration is unique, in that it marks the last under an oppressive and insensitive administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and his dysfunctional All Progressives Congress (APC), which relish in inflicting hunger, suffering and pains on the people”. The PPCO lamented the ugly situation in which Nigerians cannot celebrate a wholesome Christmas as they used to do prior to the emergence of the Buhari presidency in 2015. The organisation, however, charged Nigerians not to despair as the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, whom they have resolved to elect as their new President, has already perfected templates to revamp the economy and ease suffering in the country. PPCO stated that “the Atiku Abubakar policy document shows his commitment to entrench greater participation of our citizens in economic activities in various sectors, as against the Buhari exclusionist system, where our collective patrimony is only accessed by a cabal in the Presidency and corrupt APC leaders. “In the same vein, the Atiku Abubakar policy document shows practical intervention in infrastructure and policy drive, in such a manner that guarantees rapid inflow of investments, which will in turn, revamp our ailing productive sectors, create jobs, boost the value of the naira and increase the purchasing power of Nigerians from this abysmally low level under President Buhari, to one of the most competitive in the world. “Moreover, Atiku Abubakar offers a new era of justice, equity, inclusiveness and respect for our national diversities as against the injustice, nepotism, disdain for the rights of citizens and corrupt body language with which the Buhari Presidency fouled our system, brought hardship, escalation of violence and bloodletting in our country. “Nigerians should therefore celebrate this year’s Christmas, focusing on the brighter future that awaits our nation under Atiku Abubakar as the next President and not on the pessimism and promise of more suffering by President Buhari”. The PPCO, therefore, urged Nigerians to use the occasion to show love and share with compatriots in anticipation of a brighter future while wishing all Nigerians a merry Christmas and happy end of the year festivities. Mathew Dadiya, Tom Okpe and Tunde Opalana, Abuja