By Steve Oni, Ilorin
A former governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, Mallam Saliu Mustapha, has said that the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the just concluded presidential election has put shame to the age long tradition of monetary induced politics in the country.
He stated that the outcome also showed that power has returned to the people as against the usual deployment of state power in the past to manipulate elections in favour of the incumbents.
In a statement issued in Ilorin by his media aide, Mustapha, an erstwhile Deputy National Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), noted that the nation’s polity has taken a new shape with the conduct of the presidential poll devoid of minetary influence.
He maintained that Buhari had all along demonstrated that he was not desperate for power with total autonomy granted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to discharge its constitutional responsibility.
Mustapha acknowledged that there was no full-proof system the world over but said whoever faults the outcome of the poll was not a democrat.
The former governorship aspirant added that the insinuation in some quarters that President Buhari was not a democrat has been proved wrong.
He pointed out that a new chapter has been opened in the nation’s democratic experimentation in which the successive administrations are expected to improve and consolidate.
Mustapha stated that power belongs to the people in a democratic setting and should be treated with utmost dignity and fear of Almighty God.
While congratulating President Buhari for his victory and setting a new template for democratic governance in the country, the APC chieftain called on all political office holders-elect to fulfill their campaign promises to the electorate.
“For us, the outcome of the presidential election did not come as a surprise, for we have expected the victory for our party presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. His belief in the masses and that power belongs to them has remained unshaken.
“President Buhari, has by the conduct of the just concluded election, proved his diehard critics wrong that Nigeria can be a model for other nations of the world as long as we can have one man, one vote, one woman, one vote, devoid of the age long monetary inducement.
“This has therefore put to shame those who believe in power of money to influence the people into doing their bidding not minding the dire consequences of such on the people in the nearest future”, Mustapha said.
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