President Muhammadu Buhari has said that
his government will not spare any member of the All Progressives
Congress as well as
associates found culpable of corruption.
The President, who is currently on a
four-day visit to the United States President, Barack Obama, said this
during an interview with the CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour.
“If any of my associates or party member
is indicted of corruption, they cannot escape justice. There is not
going to be any APC member or any close personality found guilty that
would escape justice,” he said.
Buhari
reiterated his commitment to ending insurgency in the country, noting
that the release of the Chibok girls was a paramount agenda of his
government.
“Our main objective as a government is
to secure the release of those girls safe and sound, back to their
schools and rehabilitate them to go back to their normal lives. So, if
we are convinced the girls would be delivered safe and sound, we will
negotiate.”
The President said he was not disappointed that President Obama did not choose to visit Nigeria.
He said that he would send a formal invitation to the US President to visit Nigeria.
“I wouldn’t say I was disappointed that
President Obama did not choose to visit Nigeria but I wish that he would
change his mind and come to Nigeria. Well, I asked him to come and
would send a formal invitation,” he said.
Reacting to criticism against his
administration, Buhari said it was too early for people to pass judgment
on him based on his campaign promises.
He said, “I think I can be held
accountable for my promises in the next quarters I have ahead of me. I
think it is too early for anybody to pass judment on my campaign
promises.”
Responding to a question on whether he
would trade the missing Chibok girls for the release of incarcerated
members of the Boko Haram sect, Buhari said, “ We have to be very
careful about the credibility of various Boko Haram leaders coming out
to claim that they can deliver the girls . We have to be very careful
indeed and we are taking our time because we want to bring them back
safe and sound to their parents.
Buhari said he supported the trial of former Chadian dictator, Hissene Habre, anywhere so far justice prevails.
He said, “Justice is justice, whether
it’s done in Africa or anywhere in the world. The most important thing
is let justice be done. Whatever evidence that the prosecution has in
Senegal, I think it should proceed to make it available to the world and
prosecute him according to international law.”
Commenting on whether or not his
administration would negotiate with the Boko Haram sect, Buhari insisted
that the major objective of his administration was to secure the
release of the girls.
He said, “I cannot be against it. I told
you that our main objective as a government is to secure those girls
safe and sound back to their schools and rehabilitate them to get back
to normal life.
So, if we are convinced that the leaders
(of Boko Haram) can deliver those girls safe and sound, we wouldn’t
fail to negotiate what they want.”
In another development, Buhari said the
introduction of the Permanent Voter Cards and card readers by the
Independent National Electoral Commission for the last general elections
made the difference between the previous elections he had participated
in and the last one he won.
Buhari said this in Washington during a
meeting he had with the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John
Kerry, during his ongoing four-day official visit to the US.
Buhari again thanked the US for its support and assistance to Nigeria ahead of the elections.
He particularly thanked Kerry who
visited Nigeria twice before the conduct of the March 28 presidential
election when he presented American government’s position on the need
for free and fair general elections in Nigeria.
He said Nigeria would remain grateful to
the US for exerting pressure on the former government to ensure
peaceful and credible elections.
The President said, “The United States’
message sent to the previous administration was clean and clear that the
United States would not accept anything extra constitutional and that
prepared the minds of Nigerians to make us arrive where we are today.”
Source: Punch Newspaper.
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