Mamman Daura, President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew, has revealed that presidential elections in Nigeria were rigged for years.
According to Daura, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rigged presidential elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011.
Daura revealed this in “Essential Muhammadu Buhari,” a documentary about the president.
He claimed that President Buhari broke down during his presidential campaign in 2011 because of his previous election experience.
Daura recounted President Buhari’s political journey, including his failed presidential bids in 2003, 2007, and 2011.
Buhari was defeated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003, Umar Yar’Adua in 2007, and Goodluck Jonathan in 2011.
During his campaign in 2011, the president said it would be his third and last attempt at the presidency. “I will not present myself again for election into the office of the president,” he said.
Daura, in the documentary, said Buhari did not break down in tears because he was worried about defeat, rather, “he broke down in pity for the system (electoral) in the country.”
He claimed that all three elections were rigged because he approached Buhari’s lawyer after the 2007 election to request state results.
Daura said;
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. Even the winner of the election, Yar’Adua had said the election was faulty.
He added that the rigging prompted Buhari to enter a merger with other political parties in 2013.