At Chatham House Tinubu Offers Thoughts On Security, Economy, Foreign Policy
Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress Asiwaju, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday addressed Chatham House in London ahead of Nigeria’s presidential election in February next year.
Tinubu who has been addressing various strategic groups in Nigeria at town hall meetings, travelled to the United Kingdom weekend to share his campaign plans at Chatham House — a globally admired and respected platform for intellectual engagement on different issues of contemporary interest to people around the world.
It was the second time the APC candidate delivered a speech at the forum having first done it in 2011.
He emphasised Nigeria’s role in Africa as a big brother and a beacon of hope to the continent and the ECOWAS sub-region through now entrenched democratic ideals, having run an unbroken democracy for over two decades.
He said when he becomes Nigeria’s president, his administration will continue to provide quality leadership to the sub-region, to ensure democratic ideals reign in nations of the ECOWAS region.
The APC Presidential candidate in his address vowed that as President, Nigeria will epitomise values of democracy during elections anywhere in Africa, by ensuring that democratic ideals are followed and all forms of electoral violence will be rejected, allowing only the will of the people to prevail.
“Every election, wherever it is held, is important to the people or entity directly concerned. It is also important to the global democracy community as well. Equally, there are also countries whose elections, on account of their weight and influence, carry wider implications way beyond their immediate geographical boundaries. Nigeria is one of such countries.
“I stand firmly against all forms of electoral violence and intimidation. Having spent most of my career in the political opposition, I have long fought against electoral malpractice and any attempts to extinguish the legitimate choice of voters. I will continue to do so.
“And I urge all my fellow contestants in this election to do the same. Let the sovereign will of the people decide the path of our nation. And let this election be determined by voters making their choice freely rather than the domineering intimidation of the troublesome few.
“For one, as Africa’s most populous country and the continent’s largest economy, it is generally acknowledged that the fortunes of the African continent and indeed the Black race is tied directly to the health of Nigeria.
“Also the Nigerian elections of 2023 are coming up at a time when the country’s immediate geographical neighbourhood of West and Central Africa is undergoing serious political turmoil that has manifested itself in the incursion of the military to power in a number of countries. In spite of the legitimate concerns being expressed by observers, Nigerians are resolutely committed to democracy, regardless of their political differences.
“Nigeria shares direct land borders with four sister African countries with whose peoples Nigerians also share historical and cultural affinities.
“This effectively means that the relationship between Nigeria and its immediate neighbours is much more than just a geographical expression.
“To be fully secure at home, Nigeria has always believed it must be the brothers’ keeper. It was out of this understanding that Africa’s premier regional economic community, ECOWAS, was established in 1975. Uniquely, ECOWAS had embedded in its mandate, the promotion of regional economic integration as a good in its own right and in addition undertook sub-regional peace and security.
