17th April, 2015
Former Head of State, Gen. Abubakar Abdulsalami, has asked leaders of political parties and erstwhile candidates to sustain the peace in the country following the 2015 general elections.
Abdulsalami, Chairman of the Peace Committee for the Nigerian general elections, said this in an interview with State House correspondents after meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa.
“You are aware that there are some disturbances in some of the states and of course both the incoming and outgoing presidents have roles to play.
“The chairmen of the various parties have roles to play in order to maintain that peace,” he said.
On the reason for his visit to Jonathan, he said as the chairman of the peace committee, there were always interactions between the committee, the incoming President and President Jonathan.
He said the meetings were “in order to ensure that the peace we have been able to get is sustained.
“I am here to give him a report of what the committee has been doing.’’
He said the visit was not connected with any issues concerning the Petroleum Minister Diezani Allison-Madueke, who was also at the villa at the time.
“I think people are just trying to be mischievous; I have been meeting with a lot of people and a lot of ministers in the course of this transition.
“So, there is nothing strange in me meeting with anybody. Go through your records to see the number of meetings I have been engaging in.
“I don’t know why the last one will be a subject of media chat.
“This is not the first time I have been meeting her (Allison-Madueke), and a number of ministers, so I don’t see what the whole hullabaloo is all about. People are just being mischievous.
Abdulsalami also denied serving as intermediary between Buhari and Jonathan in the transition programme as he was not a member of any of the transition committees. “I am not serving as intermediary. I told you I am coming here as the chairman peace committee and naturally we have to interact.
“I wnet to Gen. Buhari and I also saw the President all in an effort to make sure that this transition goes on smoothly and we maintain the peace.”
He said he was grateful to God for the peace achieved during and after elections
“I think we have to thank God in the first place. Secondly, we have to thank President Jonathan for his statesmanship as his actions have really brought peace.
“We also have to thank Buhari for harping on his supporters to tune down their celebrations,” the former Nigerian military leader added.