Nigerian Govt donates 15 vehicles, 100 motorcycles for Benin Presidential polls

President, Benin Republic, Boni Yayi and President Muhammadu Buhari

The Federal Government has donated 15 Hilux operational vehicles and 100 motorcycles to the Independent National Electoral Commission of Benin Republic to enable it conduct credible presidential election.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bulus Lolo, who presented the items in Cotonou, said that free, peaceful and credible election in Benin was of interest to Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the presidential elections will be held in Benin on March 6, 2016 and 36 candidates have been cleared to contest the election.

Lolo encouraged the people of Benin and the electoral commission to conduct the elections in peaceful, transparent and credible manner.

“Nigeria and Benin are neighbours; what happens in Benin is of immediate impact and interest to Nigeria and what happens in Nigeria has impact and is of interest to Benin.

“Besides, we are one and the same people separated by colonial rule and because of this separation with a borderline, we tend to think that we are different people.

According to him, Nigeria wants to share its experience with Benin to encourage the people of the country that there is no alternative to democratic governance. “You are witnesses to the landmark change that took place in Nigeria in 2015 following the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in a peaceful, transparent and legitimate election without rancour.

“That election in Nigeria was a landmark because for the first time, a ruling party that had been in office for 16 years was voted out of office. “Through the free will of the Nigerian people, the election ushered in an opposition party for the first time in the history of Nigeria,” he said.

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