Obasanjo cautions on choice of successor
President Olusegun Obasanjo has cautioned Nigerians against choosing corrupt and inept leaders in the coming elections.
In a New Year message to Nigerians, the president said the emergence of such leaders would truncate the gains of his administration in the past eight years.
``I urge you not to allow the actualisation of our dream of a just, peaceful and prosperous nation to be truncated by the emergence of corrupt and inept leaders as successors of the administration.
``Let us also commit ourselves to rejecting all forms of political violence and electoral misconduct.
``Our emerging democratic institutions must be built and nurtured on a culture of fair competition for power by individuals and groups, with desirable attributes and qualities, freely canvassing electoral support for contending ideas and manifestoes,'' he said.
Obasanjo said that with the support of Nigerians, the administration had made progress in the past year toward the consolidation of the gains of its reform agenda and the extension of the reforms to new areas.
Admitting that much remained to be done since the reforms had not reached the point of irreversibility or completion, the president said he had begun the process of ensuring an orderly transition to a successor administration.
He said that the transition would entrench and carry the reforms much beyond the point at which the baton would be passed.
He said that the general elections would mark a historical defining moment in the country's existence.
``It is our collective hope, desire and expectation that the 2007 elections will usher in the first ever successful transition from one democratically-elected civilian administration to another in our country's history,'' Obasanjo added.
He pledged federal government's resolve to ensure free, fair and credible elections, adding that the onus is on Nigerians to guarantee that the dream of a successful and peaceful transition becomes a reality.
He expressed appreciation for the support of Nigerians since 1999 when he mounted the saddle as president.