Why I challenged past presidential elections – Buhari

President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari

President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday explained why he went to court to challenge the results of the presidential elections, he lost in 2003, 2007 and 2011.

Buhari, who stated this when Delta State All Progressives Congress members visited him in Abuja, said that he took the decision because he believed Nigeria must be free.

Buhari, who contested and lost 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections, said, “Going through the court is not easy, both materially and physically, and I maintained that consistency because my view about my country is that Nigeria should be truly free.”

He condoled with the delegates over the killing of some people during the last general elections.

The president-elect stated, “I understand why many of you, who were denied the opportunity to choose those you want to represent and lead you are taking the line I took in the last 12 years – in line with our constitution.

“Whether you get it or not, the most important thing is that you believe in the system and you should continue to try until the system is perfect.

“I express my condolence to you for the people murdered and I assure you that my objective of remaining consistently in partisan politics is to make sure that Nigerians are given their inherent right to choose whoever they want to lead them,” he said.

The president-elect said that he would never support anybody who undermined that right of Nigerians.

He added that arming unemployed youths and sending them to kill their own people was the worst thing anybody aspiring to leadership could do.

According to him, he would concentrate on what Nigerians would be proud of, adding that Nigerians would be respected globally.

Buhari said that the first objective of the APC would be security, adding that insecurity destroyed the economy.

The leader of the delegation and the APC governorship candidate in the state, Otega Emerhor, alleged that the PDP disenfranchised the people of a Delta and the South-South at both the presidential and governorship elections.

He stated, “ As our submission to the tribunal in respect of the governorship and state assembly elections will demonstrate, in truth, the majority of Deltans were ready for the change you represent and were geared to vote massively for you and APC.

“Unfortunately, a grand design executed by the PDP in the South-South and South- East and particularly in Delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom made sure that no proper elections took place.”

He alleged that result sheets were confiscated and results fabricated, adding the PDP resorted to violence and intimidation.