President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew, Mamman Daura’s assertion that the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections were rigged has elicited strong pushback from many Nigerians.
Daura made the assertion in a documentary titled, “Essential Muhammadu Buhari”, a one-hour documentary about the president aired on January 1.
Speaking in the documentary, the president’s confidante said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) massively rigged the polls.
He added that this pervasive rigging by the PDP, resulting in erosion of the electorate’s confidence in the electoral system, resulted in President Buhari shedding tears after losing the 2011 polls.
An emotional Buhari had also declared that the 2011 polls would be his third and final attempt at the presidency.
He later changed his mind and made a successful bid for the nation’s highest office in 2015.
According to Daura, Buhari did not burst into tears in 2011 because of defeat but due to “pity for the (electoral) system in the country”.
He added that he knew that the elections were rigged after asking Buhari’s lawyer after the 2007 elections to give him the results from some states.
Daura said he was shocked by what he saw.
“He gave me the one for Imo State. I went over the result carefully and I saw PDP, Yar’Adua – 25,000 votes and Buhari – 5,000, and so on. All round figures throughout,” he said.
He said that so glaring was the rigging that even the winner of the election, Yar’Adua confessed that the “election was faulty”.
However, many Nigerians took to the online space to counter Daura’s assertion on rigging in 2003, 2007, and 2011 polls.
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