Buhari faults Orubebe’s absence at Democracy Day lecture, says he’ll always be remembered

President Muhammadu Buhari has faulted the absence of Godsday Orubebe, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, at the 2018 Democracy Day lecture.

Speaking at the lecture which held in Abuja on Monday, Buhari said the ex-minister should have been invited to listen to Attahiru Jega, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who was the lecturer.

During the announcement of the 2015 presidential election result, Orubebe had attempted to disrupt the process.

He had confronted Jega, who was presiding over the announcement, saying: “Jega you have been compromised, we are no longer confident in you.”

Buhari said the confrontation would be forever remembered by many Nigerians.

“Here, I must digress to raise an observation about the programme organisers because I did not see Mr. Orubebe who ought to have come and listen to Prof. Jega deliver his lecture. This is a major observation,” he said.

“That instance, for those of us who were lucky that there was light and we had the television to see the confrontation between Orubebe and Prof. Jega, it will remain a life impression to many of us.”

Buhari thanked the US government for ensuring that the 2015 elections were free and fair.

He said: “I thank the United States government then under President Obama for sending John Kerry to read the riot act to the government and to us the opposition then that nothing other than a free and fair election will be acceptable.”