WATCH: “Buhari was rigged out of 2003, 2007, 2011 elections” – Former U.S ambassador to Nigeria
Former United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell has said President Buhari was rigged out of three consecutive elections before he was eventually declared winner in his fourth attempt in 2015.
Campbell told Channels TV in an interview that Buhari won the 2003, 2007, and 2011 elections.
Buhari himself had, a month ago, insisted he was cheated out of three consecutive elections in Nigeria.
“In 2002 I joined partisan politics, with a group of like-minded people. We went to work, campaigned hard and formed a credible opposition. Nigerians voted. But when the results came out, we had lost by close to 12 million votes. The statistics did not add up,” the President had said as he picked up his nomination form for next year’s election.
“We came out once again in 2007 with our simple mission to CHANGE things, since it is our desire that the dividends of democracy must be felt by all, and not just a handful.
“When the 2007 election results came out, we were told we lost by over 18 million votes. This election was a national disgrace. International observers called it a “charade”, “flawed” and “illegitimate”. Even the declared winners were embarrassed by the results.
“Again, we decided to do the right thing. We went to court. And like in 2003, the Supreme Court upheld the results. This time, Nigerians were not deprived of their basic right, it was actually stolen from them right in front of their eyes in broad daylight.
“In the 2011 elections, things got a bit better compared to 2007. We only lost by 10 million votes, according to the electoral commission,” he said.
Buhari had hailed the invention of the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) as a reason his mandate wasn’t scuppered in 2015.
Campbell couldn’t confirm that his assertion was backed by INEC.
