Buhari says elections will hold as scheduled
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured next month’s general elections would hold as scheduled.
He said this to executives of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), who paid him a courtesy visit at the State House, Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had said the pervading insecurity in the country threatens the conduct of the poll.
In his statement, President Buhari, speaking through his media adviser Femi Adesina said that the dates fixed for the conduct of the poll are sacrosanct. He urged support for INEC for it to be able to conduct “credible and fair elections.”
“Boko Haram was fraudulent and a plot to destroy Nigeria,” the president was quoted as saying in the statement.
He told the bishops, “I am very grateful for your visit to the Presidential Villa, and I agree with you on some of the observations you have made. The question of insecurity is most important to us because unless a country or institution is at peace, it will be difficult to manage.
“I just came back from Adamawa and Yobe states. During the visit to both states, I listened carefully to what the people and officials had to say. And they all said the situation had improved since 2015, especially in Borno State.
“Boko Haram was just fraudulent and a plot to destroy Nigeria. You can’t say people should not learn; the people need to grow intellectually,’’ he said.
