FLASHBACK: Communiqué On Daura Meeting Between Buhari And Ojukwu In 2003
DAURA COMMUNIQUE: GENERAL MUHAMMADU BUHARI, DIM CHUKWUEMEKA ODUMEGWU-OJUKWU & DR CHUBA OKADIGBO
General Muhammadu Buhari, Presidential Candidate of ANPP, today, May 19, 2003, received in audience Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Presidential Candidate of APGA, in Daura. Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s visit was to reciprocate an earlier visit by General Buhari and his running mate, Dr. Okadigbo to Enugu.
Dr. Chuba Okadigbo and Dr. Tim Menakaya were in attendance at the meeting.
The meeting reviewed extensively the current political situation in Nigeria in the aftermath of the just-concluded elections.
Both reiterated their strong conviction about the unity, oneness and indivisibility of Nigeria and maintained their stand for a democratic country based on free and fair election. General Buhari and Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed their total support for the positions taken collectively by the Conference of registered Nigerian Political Parties, the ANPP, the Communiqué issued by ANPP South East Zone in Enugu, the APGA NEC and the Igbo Leaders of Thought meeting in Enugu that the just concluded elections were characterized by wholesale fraud, outrageously unlawful practices such as ballot box stuffing, harassment, intimidation by law enforcement agencies and outright non-voting in collusion with PDP and INEC and blatant killings.
They therefore reiterated their total rejection of the results in the states where no elections were held and in the states where the abuse of the electoral process was of such monumental scale as noted by the local and international monitors/observers. They both have noted the rejection and call for the cancellation of the elections by the House of Representatives.
They both have noted a motion on the Senate floor rejecting the elections and calling for their cancellation.
They further noted that the Nigerian public is sad, sullen and deeply hurt by the brazen act of denying them their constitutional rights.
Both leaders have maintained their faith in the judicial system and have asked all aggrieved persons, including General Buhari and Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu, to take their cases to the appropriate tribunals or courts in places where elections were held.
Both Leaders have reiterated their views that elections have not been held and should be conducted afresh in the South East and South South states. Elections held in Ogun, Oyo, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Katsina and Kaduna were marred by serious and widespread irregularities and are subject to legal action. New elections should be held under a new arrangement since INEC has thus been hopelessly discredited.
Both leaders reiterated their belief in pursuing legal and constitutional means of redress but will not accept or recognize a government taking office as a result of these flawed elections.
General Muhammadu Buhari and Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu called on all Nigerians to work together to find an amicable settlement to the crisis which has been precipitated by the government’s willful and massive rigging of the elections. They also assured each other that they will collaborate closely on basis of equity and mutual respect to find an acceptable solution to the crisis which threatens the very foundation of our nation.
Finally, both Leaders called on the international community to avoid double standards and stand for justice, equity, free and fair elections and minimum standard of conduct of government in Nigeria.
General M. Buhari Dim C. Odumegwu-Ojukwu
