Buhari Hails Obaseki, Commends Electoral Process

President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the electoral process in Edo State which led to the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The president’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a Tweet, yesterday, said Buhari also “commended the people of Edo State, the parties, candidates and security agencies for conducting themselves responsibly.”
In his reaction to the outcome of the election as announced by INEC, Buhari said: “My commitment to free and fair elections is firm, because without free and fair elections, the foundation of our political and moral authority will be weak.”
The President added: “I have consistently advocated for free and fair elections in the country because it is the bedrock of true democratic order.
“Democracy will mean nothing if the votes of the people don’t count or if their mandate is fraudulently tampered with,” he said in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
He commended the people of Edo State, the parties, candidates and security agencies for conducting themselves responsibly.
Speaking, the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar congratulated Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki for his re-election victory in Saturday’s election, describing it as an end to godfatherism in the nation’s political system.
In a statement he personally signed, yesterday, the PDP 2019 Presidential candidate congratulated the good people of Edo State for their resilience before and during the exercise which held across the 18 local government areas of the state.
The statement read: “There is a new dawn in Edo State, and the hard won victory of Governor Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki is not just a victory, but a declaration of independence from the anti-democratic forces of godfatherism and militarism.
“No victory could be sweeter than this, and I heartily congratulate the governor, and the good people of Edo State for their resilience in the face of the forces arrayed against them.
“Edo has a rich history as the centre of Black civilisation, and to this, she is adding a new history as the bastion of Nigerian democracy. This double whammy of ancient and modern glories is a testament to a people who have for centuries set the pace as a beacon of light on the African continent.
“I most heartily congratulate the Peoples Democratic Party, who stood shoulder to shoulder, with the people of Edo and their government, in good times and bad. We, in the PDP, have shown that we are not fair-weather friends to the good people of Edo.
“In good times, we will walk beside you. In bad times, we will be your true ‘comrade’. We will never be a turncoat. We will never abandon the principles we once espoused, so we can dine with our nemesis. Democracy has no nemesis. And this, the PDP has again proved.
“I look forward to the continuation of four more years of tangible development, and people-centred leadership from Governor Obaseki. I also seize this opportunity to thank His Royal Highness, the Oba of Benin, Omo N’oba N’Edo Uku Akpolopkolo, Ewuare II, for the fatherly role he played as a neutral catalyst for peace. That this election was, by and large, free from violence, is a testament of the long and effective shadow he casts over his domain.