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Nigeria: Campaigning comes to a close as Nigerians vote Saturday for a new President
“All this will add up when the elections are through and the results are announced and we see that they conduct themselves in accordance with the pledges and promises that have been made,” electoral commission spokesman Kayode Idowu told reporters.
Jonathan published a “thank you” message to Nigerians on the front page of many national newspapers, with a 40-page color pull-out detailing his claimed achievements.
But the president recognized the challenge from Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) which could see his ruling party defeated for the first time since the end of military rule in 1999.
“Right now there are only a few more hours to the elections. I cannot recall elections more important than this in the history of our nation and I need your support,” the 57-year-old wrote.
“I need you to vote for me in this election, not just because of me, but so that we consolidate on the progress we have made.”
Jonathan is campaigning for continuity and has vowed to complete the work he has started in his first 4 years in office.
Buhari, 72, who headed a military government in the 1980s and describes himself as a “converted democrat”, has for his part pushed an agenda of “change”.
He criticized “insecurity, broken infrastructure and growing inequality”, vowing action against Boko Haram and corruption, which he said had made Nigeria “a laughing stock of the world”.
“Rebuilding the army and other security agencies will be a top priority of my government. I will ensure that never again will terrorists find a safe haven in Nigeria,” he added.
He said he would also reunite the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the group in April last year with their families.
