Supplementary polls: Buhari tells electorate to vote party of their choice

President Muhammadu Buhari says he believes in the will of the people
and cannot put pressure on voters to elect leaders they do not like.

President Muhammadu Buhari

Buhari in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and
Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Friday, dismissed insinuations
that he was forcing voters to elect candidates other than those they
preferred during the supplementary elections scheduled for 17 states on
March 23.

The president said at no time did he give instructions that the electorate should vote particular candidates.

The President assured Nigerians that he was ready to work with
elected representatives of the people regardless of party platforms on
which they were elected.

President Buhari said he would work in the best interest of the country and democracy.

President Buhari, who thanked voters for re-electing him for a second
term in office, said he would never forget their sacrifices in defying
harsh weather conditions to vote for him.

He said: ‘‘I was deeply overwhelmed by your show of incredible confidence in me, and I will never let you down.

“Thank you for your sincere show of support for me.’’

President Buhari, however, appealed to voters not to get tired of
coming out to vote in the supplementary elections, adding ‘‘these
elections are no less important than others before them.’’

He appealed to voters to vote for the candidates they believed would
deliver on promises because “it is your constitutionally guaranteed
democratic rights.

President Buhari also called on INEC and security agencies to ensure
that the supplementary elections are conducted peacefully and in
accordance with the law and constitution.

He, therefore, called on the electorate to come out en masse and participate in the supplementary elections.