Michael Olugbode in Abuja
A former President of Kenya and Head of the African Union Observation Mission to Nigeria’s general election, Uhuru Kenyatta, has asked Nigerians to keep faith in democracy by ensuring the forthcoming elections in the country are free, fair and credible.
Kenyatta made the appeal yesterday in Abuja, when he paid a visit to the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.
He said Nigeria was a country, where the world and Africa was watching and hoping that the outcome of the elections would bring all parties together to build a better country.
Kenyatta said: “We are here as you have correctly stated, to work together with you. We are here as members of the African Union observer team for the upcoming presidential and National Assembly elections. We are here as members and brothers and sisters.
“From the African continent to affirm Nigeria, Nigeria’s commitment as the largest democracy on the African continent and your commitment to democracy to the rule of law and to active democratic practices that allow the people at intervening periods to be able to elect for themselves the leaders of their choice.
“Just to say one thing which I have noted, in particular, and that is President Buhari’s personal commitment towards a free, fair and transparent election, this is something he has been talking about at various intervals, many do not actually think he would see it through. But we are here today and seeing that he has lived true to his words.
“We are here to see that those words turn into reality in the next few days. We are here to work together with our brothers and sisters of Nigeria, as they exercise that fundamental right, which is the democratic right to choose freely, the leaders without hindrance. There are many challenges and we all know that.
“And those challenges are not peculiar to Nigeria. There are challenges that for one reason or another affect various parts of the world and not just Africa. You’ve seen similar challenges in the UK,” he said, insisting that there bigger experiences in established democracies like the United States and that African countries should not be needlessly be apprehensive.
In his opening remarks, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, thanked the former Head of State for his fatherly support, saying, “I wish at the very outset on behalf of the president and the people of Nigeria, and I would indeed say, the people of Africa to extend our deepest appreciation, and congratulations to you on the phenomenal role you play as president of Kenya, not just for your achievements in Kenya, taking the country from a very precarious position to truly a thriving economy.”
