by S’ola Filani
President Goodluck Jonathan has admitted that there hasn’t been any free and fair elections in the country since Nigeria’s Independence.
“What has been happening since then is that people have been buying and selling votes.”
He stated on Friday at Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, while addressing a large crowd of party supporters at the Abakaliki Township Stadium in the course of his nationwide campaign.
Jonathan, the presidential candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) however asked Nigerians, especially the youth, not to allow anyone buy their votes during the forthcoming elections as this would not be allowed to continue.
“Our campaign is for the young people. Our time is almost gone. We must change our circumstance. The young people should join us. Nobody should deceive you; nobody should buy your votes. Since 1960, we have been buying and selling votes and we don’t want to continue like this. If you want development, you have to join PDP to develop,” he said.
Speaking on the position of women, Jonathan said women would continue to play pivotal roles in his government.
“For women, your vote is crucial. We have given identity to Nigerian women. This is not the end. We want Nigerian women to be paraded at the global level. We must expose our women.
“This is the only administration that is ready to give every position to women. My aspiration is to see a female president before I die,” he further noted.
