Nigerians are enjoying freedom of speech under Buhari – Presidency insists

The Presidency has said that Nnamdi Kanu, Sunday Igboho, Others Cannot bring down the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

He advised those with political ambitions to wait until the end of the Buhari administration in 2023.

“I want to assure Nigerians that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is addressing multiple challenges that are facing the country especially in dealing with security and yet we are still making progress in agriculture, economy, anti-corruption,” he said.

“It is sad for the country that opposition is exploiting some of these things. It is quite unfortunate and I want to assure that the president remains focused in preserving the security and unity of this country.

“We accept that dissent is allowed, this is a democracy and people have a right to tell truth to Government but we must be careful in doing that. Nobody can bring down the government because this is a government elected democratically.

“Government in a democracy come through periodic elections and if we have a government in office as we have, sponsored by political parties to win the elections, it is telling you that that confidence of the public is still there.

“People with strong ambitions, wait till four years, in fact, in our case, two more years to go to election and President Buhari will not be a candidate in that election.”

While addressing protests by parents of the recently abducted Afaka students, Shehu said he was deeply touched by their outcry but  noted that paying a ransom would only make kidnappings more rampant in the country.

“So long as we continue to pay money, it will continue to thrive and one of us will ever be safe in this country. This thing about payment to captors of innocent citizens is something that has to end for kidnapping to end,” he said.

“Some arrests are ongoing, nothing is finalised as we speak now.”

“People should be free to say whatever because this country is under the best democratic government that we have had since the fourth republic.” 

Garba Shehu.