I’ve no regrets making democracy possible in Nigeria, says Abdulsalami Abubakar

General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the former head of state, declared he had no regrets about transferring power to a president chosen by democratic means.

Remember Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president, took over from Abdulsalami in 1999 following many military takeovers of the nation.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun Newspaper, he stated, “I am content with the current situation.” Yes, there are still issues, but here we are, commemorating 25 years of continuous democracy.

“Well, we thank God and I am very happy that it is now 25 years ago I handed over. And we thank God that Nigerians and Nigeria are enjoying the dividends of democracy.

“We are not yet there, but we have come a long way since 1999. The only drawback we have in the system is people still sell their votes and they do all types of things, they allow the politicians to use them in ballot box snatching here and there – unnecessary things that we should have overcome at this age. But gradually and thankfully, yes, Nigerians are gradually coming out of this menace, they are realising that their vote counts and they are making sure that their vote counts.

“Unfortunately, I still maintain, there are some very few people who abuse the process and they allow their votes to be bought. And if they are buying these votes, certainly they cannot be called to be accountable, the people who are being so elected”.