Ahead of the 2019
general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari has asked Nigerians to get their
Permanent Voters Card and vote anybody they want.
He spoke at the
Presidential Villa in Abuja last night while breaking Ramadan fast with members
of the judiciary led by a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Okukayode
Ariwoola.
Buhari, who said technology
aided his victory in 2015, was responding to a remark by a former Chief Justice
of Nigeria, Alfa Belgore.
The president said he kept
appealing to state governors to embark on voter education so that citizens
could regard their PVCs as their national card.
“I find it necessary to invite
you because I don’t normally see you. I’ve to repeat what I said having heard
what you said. I mentioned that when I was in the military and much younger, we
believed things were going wrong and so when I came, I took from the president downwards, to Kirikiri
against your advice and told them that they are guilty until they prove
themselves innocent. But we proceeded to have various tribunals to
investigate and I can still remember extremely good and fantastic Nigerians,
they’re few in the society that is why we don’t see the impact of fantastic
people we have.
“I decided to put agbada and
come back, I tried three times and then fourth time I eventually made it.
Thanks to God and thanks to technology because permanent voters card and card readers are
fantastic. Those who went to their polling booths in their constituency and
voted, their votes counted.
“Before, votes were disregarded
and results written and there was nothing you can do before the justices to
proof your case. But now with technology it has been made easy. That is why I
keep appealing to the governors to embark on voter education, to please tell
the people that their voter card is their national card so to speak.
“Let them vote for anybody they
want across ethnicity and religion and impose their decisions on them. I think
that is why I am calling on and I am begging the governors to please continue
with voter education so that people will take their permanent voters card
seriously and make sure that they don’t lose it.
“I am bothering you with this
because you are in a position of influence and you come from a constituency
that is recognized and what you say will mean a lot to the people at your
constituency,” Buhari said.
Belgore had affirmed that
Buhari loved the country very much. The former CJN said President Buhari only
needed good people around him.
He said: “I have always
respected the president as a person. He loves this country very much. Because
of that, what he needs always is to have very good people around him.”
Daily Trust
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