IBM Haruna: don’t copy Egypt, Tunisia

FORMER chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Gen. I.B.M. Haruna yesterday warned against truncating the electoral process.

He spoke at the National Summit on Free and Fair Elections organised by Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation in conjunction with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.

Gen. Haruna said: “I am 70 years old, a retired army general, a retired lawyer and now, a retired chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum. This morning, my seventh grandchild who has Lagosian, Adamawa and Isoko blood lines was born.

“I firmly believe that the future of Nigeria must not be thrown into confusion on the basis of sectional perceptions, including indigeneship or state of origin; the young generation is looking forward to the opportunity to be freed from ignorance, diseases and poverty.

“Those elected must be freely and fairly elected and we should all be committed to building a united Nigeria. Free and fair election is fundamental for evolving a society that is just and a government that is equitable.

“We all know our problems but we lack the drive and political will to get there. We must strengthen our conscience to ensure that we move forward and avert unnecessary loss of lives and all possibilities of violence.

“Let us all resolve to work with INEC towards achieving free, fair and credible elections and let our country move forward, not backwards like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and others.”

A former Governor of Plateau State, Chief Solomon Lar, also the pioneer National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said: “I believe that once we begin to have free, fair and credible elections, many problems in this country will end; the issue of corruption will no longer be there.

“In the past, before the handing over of the independence flag, elections were free and fair in Nigeria. I won my first election in December 1959 and it was very free and fair. “There was only little time for campaign because the British colonialists had little time to leave. Then, in Nigeria, the word “rigging” did not exist. I first heard of the word “rigging” in Ibadan, sometime in 1961 and I asked them what that means and they explained it to me.

“I am honoured to stand before you today as a citizen of our great nation, Nigeria. As we work towards free and fair elections for the people of our great nation, we should all come together as one nation and stand together as Nigerians. Big and small, male and female, irrespective of tribes and opinions, we are all here as Nigerians with everyone equal before the law. No matter what his station in life is, each man must have his one vote.

“We are pursuing together, the goal of free, fair elections; we live together in a republic. We must ensure that we protect the rights of every Nigerian by safeguarding the collective interest. Protection must come at every level and every stage of the electoral process. The office does not belong to the elected official but to Nigerians who allowed you occupy that sacred position of responsibility.

“Holding elective office is an extension of free and fair elections; your tenure is a logical outcome of the electoral process.

“As an elected official, you must rise to the challenge of a higher calling and put away self-interest and serve the electorate and honour the principle of free and fair elections. You must preserve your integrity and honour the Nigerian people’s expectation of genuine service. Being given the opportunity to exercise power on behalf of many other fellow citizens implies that you should do so with care. You must never take the oath of office for granted.

“I am not corrupt. I have nothing to hide; I have not been corrupt from my childhood through my years in politics. I have only been fighting for the people, the downtrodden, and the oppressed.

“I was part of the First Republic. I have not been corrupt. It is good to be a Nigerian, no matter what anybody says. Let us all ensure that we have free, fair and transparent election in Nigeria. Nigeria must witness the blooming of liberty, freedom and progress.”