Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, has said he would concede defeat if he loses the 2019 elections, provided the exercise is adjudged free and fair.
Atiku
Mr Abubakar said he has conceded defeat when he lost before and does not see why this should be an outlier.
Mr Abubakar appeared on the candidates a televised town hall hosted by journalist Kadaria Ahmed on NTA Wednesday night. Peter Obi, his running mate appeared with him.
Mr Abubakar is the main challenger to President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential elections scheduled for February 16.
The opposition candidate’s response appeared starkly different from the one offered by Mr Buhari when he was asked the same question when he appeared on an earlier instalment of the programme earlier this month.
Ms Ahmed asked Mr Buhari whether he would concede, but rather than say categorically whether or not he would, the president gave a response that was widely deemed non-committal.
Although he made reference to his previous presidential election losses, he insisted those happened because he was cheated, and not because citizens did not vote for him.
Responding to a question on how Atiku hopes to reform judicial system and EFFC, Atiku said: “I will be working out a framework where justice is no longer delayed and justice process shortened. There should be collaboration with the legislative arm to ensure that we achieve a faster justice delivery processâ€.
Atiku, responding to questions on whether he will grant amnesty to individuals who has been accused or found guilty of looting Nigeria, said: “There should be dialogue on the issue of fighting corruption. Before reviewing our laws, we will dialogue with individuals found guilty. I will grant amnesty, so they can bring the money from abroad and invest them here. You can’t achieve victory over corruption if you don’t allow some individual amnesty.â€
