Nigerian election "will be free and fair"

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday said the days of election manipulation were over in Nigeria. He stated this in Washington DC at the U.S.-African Leaders Summit.

Jonathan says he remains committed to credible elections in the country come 2015.

He said: “The era when a few politicians, acting in concert with their hirelings and thugs to snatch voters cards, ballot papers and other electoral materials, is gone for good in Nigeria.

“I remain fully committed to keeping the promise I made in 2011 that my administration will do everything possible to ensure that the elections in Nigeria become very free, fair and credible.’’

“The issue of credible elections must be institutionalised in Nigeria. Our electoral processes were not very good or credible when we came into office.

“But as I promised, we have been working very hard to change things and ensure that our elections are more credible, that every legitimate vote counts and that result are acceptable to the electorate.

“I promise you that the Osun governorship elections will be very free, fair and credible,” Jonathan said when he responded to questions and comments on topical issues in Nigeria.

“Job creation is a challenge to every government in the world. We are doing all that we can to tackle the problem in Nigerian.

“This is because we know that we have a very youthful population and if we do not create enough jobs to meet their needs, the country will be in trouble.’’

“We expect you to continue to add more value to what we are doing and we will continue to engage your services and expertise when we can.

“This is very crucial because if we do not, the valuable education and skills you have acquired will be of no benefit to the development of our country.’’