By Chesa Chesa
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met at the State House, Abuja, with Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, other top officials of the electoral body, and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, as follow up action on his resolve to engender a free, fair and credible electoral process in the country.
INEC has a minimum of 28 rerun and by-elections this January alone, and President Buhari told the commission to ensure that the game was played by the rules, without fear or favour.
“Those that you declare as winners must be the candidates that the people have chosen. Democracy is about free will, and the will of the people must be allowed to prevail. Get your acts right, and leave no room for underhand tricks or manipulation,” he said.
The President said he was determined to give Nigeria an electoral system that meets with best practices anywhere in the world, and charged the electoral umpire to stick to the rules of fair play and adherence to justice.
From the police, President Buhari wants nothing than a scrupulous securing of the electoral process, without bias or favouritism.
“Our elections must be done in violence-free atmosphere. The process must be free, fair, decent, devoid of intimidation or malpractices. It is the duty of the police to accomplish that, and it is what I expect in the elections immediately ahead, and going forward,” he said.
Both INEC and the police pledged a fidelity to the rules and regulations, stating that they know President Buhari as someone passionately committed to fair play.
