Nigerians proved they can decide who leads them without foreign influence, Buhari tells US envoy

0
493

By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has said given the chance of a free and fair election as well as non-interference as was witnessed on February 25th and March 18th elections, Nigerians have proved to be capable of deciding who leads them without anyone telling them what to do.

The President who expressed satisfaction with the remarkable passion towards democracy exhibited by Nigerians through the choices they made in the Presidential, National Assembly and the subsequent Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, said Nigeria’s democracy has truly matured.

This was even as the United States Ambassador to Nigeria urged Buhari to remove subsidy before he leaves office on May 29, 2023.

Buhari who was speaking at a farewell meeting with the outgoing United States Ambassador, Mary Beth Leonard at the State House in Abuja, said he was completely satisfied with his own role in the election process staying above it, without meddlesomeness or any form of interference.

“People are realising their power. Given the chance of a free and fair vote, nobody can tell them what to do. I am unhappy that some candidates lost in the election. But I am inspired by the fact that voters were able to make their own decision, to decide who won and who lost. With the currency change, there was no money to spread around but even then, I told voters to take the money and vote according to their consciences,” Bujari said.

The President commended the outgoing Ambassador for the enormous achievements recorded in Nigeria-US relations in the three-and-half years she had been here.

He chronicled a number of challenges faced by Nigeria as the country strives to unite our diverse communities and achieve national development and expressed his appreciation of the way the United States is able to hold together as a nation. He expressed the hope that Nigeria will continue to make progress in building a nation out of our different and competitive communities. He added that he enjoyed working with the Ambassador and wished that she had more time to serve here.