Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, said yesterday that the outcome of the recently held elections in the country is an indication that securing a second term in office “is no longer a right.”
He said the exercise sent a message to Africans and others across the world that a sitting president can lose an election.
Speaking at a press conference organised as part of events to mark African Day in Berlin Germany, the former president said until the recent elections, most leaders in the country and on the continent thought that securing another term in office was automatic, “in fact it was considered impossible to lose”.
He said: “The peoples wish prevailed,” adding, “I am proud to say it here that Nigeria got it right this time around.
“The elections may not have been perfect, but it was a reflection of the people’s wish. Even where there were manipulations, it did not affect the results. Attempts to rig did not yield any positive results. I think with what happened, people will no longer be eager to manipulate elections”,
He urged people in leadership positions to be mindful of their actions adding, “ When we started the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) many people thought and even voiced it, that the party will rule forever, but look at it today. It is only 16 years down the road and the PDP is already an opposition party”.
He said the development was very good for Africa, because “if anything goes well in Nigeria, that is a quarter of the continent going well”.
On areas that he would want the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to prioritise as he assumes office in the next ten days, he said he could not be specific as there were of many sectors in need attention and that none can be discarded in favour of the other.
“If I say employment, what of power, security, education? If he takes up one and ignores the other, do you think he will complete his first tenure in office,” he said.
