President Goodluck Jonathan has defended the deployment of security operatives to Osun State for the August 9 governorship election, won by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking at the opening session of the Interfaith Summit in Abuja, President Jonathan wondered why any reasonable politician would condemn the deployment of security personnel for elections in the country.
The President expressed surprise that “some political parties are advocating that government should withdraw security during and after election” adding that “what surprises me most is that even some labour leaders are advocating that government should not secure people during election”, wondering “how short human memories are”.
The President went back memory lane to recount the ordeal of Nigerians and particularly youth corp members who lost their lives as a result of crisis that erupted from the 2011 general elections.
He also recalled the loss of property worth millions of naira in Kano, maintaining that “some of the people have not built back their houses.
“We know what happened in Akwa Ibom where some criminals had to sever the genital organ of some men in the name of politics; demons who want to hold political offices.
“In that kind of a situation, how will somebody who calls himself labour leader come publicly to say government should not secure people.
President Jonathan, insisting that he does not agree with the call, reiterated the clarity of his promise to give Nigerians a free and fair election. “All governorship elections that have been conducted so far; you can agree with me that they have been free and fair”, he said
He also debunked claims that he uses his might as a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to skew elections in favour of candidates of the party; “PDP have lost elections in Edo State, we lost election in Anambra State, we lost election in Ondo State; of course only two days back we have lost elections in Osun State,” he said.
He promised to ensure that Nigerians no longer have the kind of elections that caused crisis in the Western Region and threatened the sovereignty of the country in the 1960s.
He called on religious leaders to use their platforms to educate Nigerians on the need to be their brothers’ keepers.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Mohhamadu Saad Abubakar, who was one of the distinguished Nigerians from all walks of life, who gathered at the Interfaith Conference, reiterated the unity of Christians and Muslims in one country.
According to him, steps must be taken to fight the common enemy, which he said, was poverty.
While the Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, pointed at politics as being responsible for the vices that exist in the country, he stated that Nigerians need a turnaround of the negative image and practice responsible politics.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, also described Nigeria as a complex society and added that the conference, which came at a time Nigeria is said to be in dire need of peace more than ever before, was needed to iron out the differences.
