FORMER Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, Wednesday
challenged all the politicians to adhere to the rules of the game by desisting
from insisting on winning at all cost, saying the role of making the
forthcoming general elections credible and devoid of irregularities is for all
and sundry to work tenaciously round the clock to sustain the existing peace in
the country.
Abubakar, who spoke Wednesday while in Gombe State to
commiserate with the state government and the entire people of the state over
the death of former traditional ruler of Gombe, Shehu Usman Abubakar, said: “As
we go to the poll in 2015, every Nigerian has a role to play in ensuring that
our elections are credible. How do we do that? By ensuring that we vote
according to our conscience, according to the candidate we like and to ensure
that our votes count.
“There is always room for improvement. Nation-building is a
continuous process. You do your own, you move ahead and your successor builds
on what you left; he leaves, another person comes and it continues. So,
democracy is always a learning process. You can never have a perfect
democracy.”
Noting that all Nigerians, irrespective of status and areas of
domiciles, has a role in making the country’s elections credible, the former
head of state said the process must not be left with the electoral body,
government or security agencies alone.
Abubakar said the country can achieve its dream of becoming one
of the most developed countries in the world provided all the citizens are
ready to contribute their quotas.
Congratulating the new Emir, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar, the
former head of state said there was need for the Nigerians to be law-abiding
and live in peace with one another in order to move the country forward.
He described peace as the most expensive commodity, stressing
that every Nigerian must contribute positively towards maintaining peace in
every part of the country, as there can be no meaningful development without
peace.
According to him: “The most expensive commodity in Nigeria now
is peace. So, I appeal to Nigerians to do all they could to sustain the peace
and tranquility in this country because without peace, there will be no country
and nobody can go out and look for his livelihood. All of us have a role to
play in maintaining peace in this country.”
The former Nigerian leader, who was visibly passionate about
peace in the North-East region and the country at large, called on at the
insurgents to lay down their arms and allow for dialogue.
He said: “Again, I plead for peace. We should give peace a
chance. If you have grievances, there are channels through which you can lay
your complaints and seek redress.
“I beseech those causing the insurgency in this country to, in
the name of whoever or whatever they worship and respect, to please give peace
a chance.”
The new emir, who was overwhelmed by the visit, stressed his
readiness to continue to drum into the ears of his people the need to hold
tenaciously to peace, which according to him, would accelerate the growth of
the state and the country at large.
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