As millions of Nigerians were getting ready to
cast their vote in presidential elections, the
country's electoral commission announced a
six-week postponement of the vote on
Saturday.
…The government is not prepared to
fight Boko Haram.... The government
has failed to do its principle duty of
protecting life or property of all
beings inside its territory, in Nigeria....
The government is not serious about
curbing the insurgency in the
northeast.„
General Muhammadu Buhari, All
Progressives Congress.
Officially, the government says it needs more
time to ensure security in Africa's most
populous nation - particularly in areas
dominated by the armed group Boko Haram.
Members of the opposition, however, see it as
an attempt by President Goodluck Jonathan
to buy time against his leading opponent,
former General Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari, who attended the US Army War
College in the United States, is 72 years old
and has a long involvement in the country's
military and political establishment.
Along his military career, his political home is
Nigeria's Northeastern state where he first
served as governor in the 1970s - the area
now dominated by Boko Haram.
After staging a military coup against a
democratically-elected government in 1984, he
ran Nigeria for almost two years.
He subsequently ran in the elections in 2003,
2007 and 2011, but lost all of the campaigns.
During his rule, there were allegations of
secret tribunals, curtailment of civil liberties,
and executions for crimes not punishable by
death.
Many in Nigeria are now wavering.
They are
attracted by the promise of a military man as
Boko Haram is gaining strength. But others
are concerned about Buhari's own record and
his agenda.
So, how will the six-week delay affect
Buhari's election campaign? What is behind
the delay? How big a threat is Boko Haram?
And what is the security situation ahead of
Nigeria's elections?
As the democratic process is being
delayed, General Buhari of Nigeria's
opposition All Progressives Congress talks to
Al Jazeera.
Source: Al Jazeera
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