Elections are the Pillar of Democracy

Being Text of a Statewide Broadcast by His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Adamu, (Sarkin Yakin Keffi), Executive Governor of Nasarawa State on the 2007 General Elections.

My Dear People of Nasarawa State

I address you tonight as your governor and your partner. Our immediate task in Nasarawa State in particular and the nation in general is what we make of the future of our country and our state. We and our compatriots throughout the country go to the polls tomorrow to elect or re-elect state governors and members of the state houses of assembly. We return to the polls next Saturday to elect a new president and elect new or renew the mandates of current members of the national assembly.

There is no true Nigerian who is not anxious over the general elections. But there is always a guiding hand in the turbulent waters of uncertainty. That guiding hand belongs to the almighty Allah. We must pause and express our gratitude to him. He alone has made this time and the coming events possible. He alone will make our uncertainty certain.

Elections put democracy through the crucibles. If the elections succeed, the pillars of the edifice of democracy are strengthened. Voting is more than a civic duty on the part of the people. The periodic conduct of elections in which people freely participate to decide on who leads them, is at the heart of the integrity of democracy. With each successful general election, Nigeria strides confidently towards its future greatness. 

This year's general elections are crucial to our democracy and national stability. The eyes of the world are on us. For the first time in its forty-six years of independence our country will witness a successful civilian to civilian transition. It is a big challenge to all of us. We should not under-estimate the size of that challenge. Nor should we fear the challenge. Federal and state governments, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as well as the security agencies have all assured the people of their commitment to free and fair elections. All of us must show the same degree of commitment to truly free, fair and successful elections. As Nigerians, we have equal stake in the integrity of the elections. I urge you to join hands with our administration in our common determination to give the elections local, national and international legitimacy.

Our country has had the misfortune of taking one step forward only to take two backward. Tomorrow should mark a permanent watershed in our steady march towards granite stability in our political system and our economic prosperity. The burning desire of all Nigerians to sustain and nurture democracy is honest and transparent. That desire guaranteed us eight years of uninterrupted democratic rule, the longest so far in our country. It saw us through the teething pains of our nascent democracy. It should remain our beacon in the years ahead.  Never again shall our nation regress.

As you are well aware, I am not contesting the election. I have had the rare privilege of serving my constitutional limit of two terms of four years each as your chief steward in the state. My time is almost up. I shall ever remain grateful to you all for the opportunity given me to serve you as your governor. I can leave no greater legacy for this state than the peaceful passing on of the baton to the next state administration. It is a moral obligation that I am resolved to fully and faithfully discharge by ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections throughout the state. It is not a task for one man; it is a task of all men and women, old and young. I ask for your full and active support. Together we can do it; together we must do it.

I urge the good people of this state to shun election violence. There should be no room for it. Violence is an ill wind; it blows no one any good. Our state must remain an oasis of peace in a desert of politico-ethnic antagonism. When others are losing their heads elsewhere, let us keep ours by saying no to those of our politicians who wish to find political relevance through the promotion of violence.

Two weeks ago, we witnessed an unfortunate consequence of political intolerance that led to violence at Assakio. The government strongly condemns that violence. I urge the people in Assakio and elsewhere not to allow themselves to be used as pretext by local champions to undermine peace and unity in our state. Nasarawa State is greater than any individuals, no matter how rich or powerful they may be. The interests of the state should always be placed above those of individuals and their ambitions. Peace is the one true condition for development in all human societies. There must be peace in every corner of our state. Our constitution guarantees all qualified Nigerians the right to seek elective offices. That right is best exercised in an atmosphere of peace and unity. Our different political platforms should never be used as gulfs that separate us. Let us recognize the political parties as constitutional routes to the same destination.

We welcome all those who are aspiring to the various elective offices in the state on the platforms of the various political parties. We sincerely believe that they are motivated, not by selfish ambition but by a genuine desire to serve our people. Like us, they too want to see a greater Nasarawa State. Let us remember that all of us in this state are bound by a common destiny and united by the common challenges of its rapid social and economic development. There is no room in that common destiny for ethnic or religious champions. Our constitution does not provide for ethnic or religious representation. It provides only for the representation of the people, all of the people. Let no one attempt to divide our people or polarize our common destiny. Let no one aspire to climb to political office on the bodies of the dead and the blood of the wounded. The strong knots of unity that bind us must never be undermined by the temporary gains of ethnic or religious jingoism. Our state must be the best example of a multi-ethnic and a multi-religious society in which the arms of brotherhood and sisterhood constitute the veritable defence of our common destiny. We must be tolerant of other people's views, particularly if they differ from ours. We must be accommodating of other people's fundamental human rights. These rights are not ours to give but ours to mutually protect and respect.

Let me send a note of strong warning to all those who might wish to foment trouble during the elections. This administration will not allow any one to toy with the future of our state. Let the word go forth from here now: we will not tolerate any attempts to undermine the conduct of free and fair elections in any parts of the state. Those who misadvise themselves to test the will of this administration will have themselves to blame. We will protect the right of the people and their freedom to exercise that right to vote for candidates of their choice in all the elections.

The campaigns are now over. Tomorrow, the people will give their verdict in the governorship and the state house of assembly elections. It is natural for every contestant to believe he can win. Winning is the ultimate prize. But in electoral as in other contests, only one person will win. Tomorrow's and the subsequent elections will naturally produce winners and losers. The victorious must be humble and gracious in victory; the losers must be good sports men and women and accept the outcome of the election with equanimity. As true democrats, we must respect the verdict of the electorate and protect the sanctity of the ballot box, even if the verdict goes against our individual expectations.

Our administration has worked hard in the past eight years to transform our state. Our state is far from the state we found at the inception of our administration eight years ago. We have laid a solid foundation for a modern Nasarawa State. We are pleased to say that we have done so much with so little financial resources at our disposal. Our success is the success of a partnership that works. A new administration will take over next month and continue from where we stop. That process begins with tomorrow's elections. The choices we make tomorrow will determine the future of our state. It is my sincere hope that the people of this state will make the right choices and elect men and women of integrity who have the capacity to dream realizable dreams and the pragmatism to chart the course we must follow. They must be men and women who will have zero-tolerance for corruption in all its manifestations. We must not let those whose horizon is limited by a lack of vision to arrest the sure and steady march of our state towards the Promised Land. It is now up to the electorate. May the almighty Allah give them the wisdom to choose right and the grace to accept and live with the choices they make.

I wish all of us free, fair and successful elections.

Thank you and may God continue to bless our efforts.