APC Presidential Candidate, General Buhari speaks at Chatham House, London

Source: pointblanknews.com

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives' Congress

(APC) General Muhammadu Buhari spoke earlier today at the Royal

Institute for International Affairs, Chatham House, London to a room

packed with British politicians, diplomats, journalists and a wide

cross-section of Nigerians.
Former British High Commissioner to Nigeria and Chair for the event, Sir

Richard Gozney introduced General Buhari to the audience as “a man of

modesty, unusual for a Nigerian politician, and having clarity of

thoughts and speech.”
His 25-minute speech, titled Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in

Africa: Nigeria's Transition, focused on the postponed Nigerian

elections, the need for its credibility and transparency and its

implications for democracy across Africa.
“It is in our collective interests that the postponed elections should

hold on the rescheduled dates; that they should be free and fair; that

their outcomes should be respected by all parties; and that any form of

extension, under whichever guise, is unconstitutional and will not be

tolerated,” he said.
He also reassured his audience of his democratic views and of his belief

that the spread of democracy around the world since the end of the Cold

War has shown him that it was another path to change and a preferable

one than military rule.
He also added that democracy was not just about allowing people to

choose their leaders, but that it should also deliver on the promise of

choice, of freedoms, of security of lives and property, of transparency

and accountability, of rule of law, of good governance and of shared

prosperity.
He reiterated his commitment to end the raging insurgency in the

North-East by defeating the Islamist terror group, Boko Haram which has

killed about 13,000 people in 5 years and taken control of territory.

“Let me assure you – if I am elected president, the world has no cause

to worry about Nigeria as it is currently,” he said.

He concluded by taking responsibility for the events under his watch as

military Head of State and stated that while he could not change the

past, he desires to change the present and the future.

“Let me say without sounding defensive that dictatorship goes with

military rule, though some might be less dictatorial than others. I take

responsibility for whatever happened under my watch. I cannot change the

past. But I can change the present and the future. So before you is a

former military ruler and a converted democrat who is ready to operate

under democratic norms and is subjecting himself to the rigours of

democratic elections for the fourth time.”
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