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TEHRAN, November 19 - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday put the fight against corruption at the heart of his bid for another four-year term, as official campaigning got under way for elections next year.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Voters go to the polls on February 16, four years after Buhari's landmark victory which saw him become the first opposition candidate in Nigerian history to defeat a sitting president.
The 75-year-old former military ruler goes into the vote with the power of incumbency but facing a groundswell of opposition to his record in office since 2015.
At a campaign launch in the capital Abuja on Sunday he maintained he had delivered on his promises to improve security, the economy and tackle corruption.
But he accepted there was still work to do so everyone can benefit, not just the few, adding: "Our choices will shape us, our economic security and our future prosperity.
"Nigeria, more than ever before, needs a stable and people-focused government to move the agenda for our country forward."
Soon after coming into office, Buhari pledged to recover what he said were "mind-boggling" sums of public money stolen during previous administrations.
His anti-corruption campaign, however, has yet to secure any high-profile convictions while his opponents accuse him of mounting a political witch-hunt.
On Sunday, he said graft remained "an existential threat" and that despite some gains, "there is still much ground to cover to stop systemic corruption".
"We are committed to deepening the work we started this first term such that the nation's assets and resources continue to be organised and utilised to do good for the common man."
Buhari also put job creation, diversifying the economy away from a dependence on oil, and education as central planks of his campaign.
Source: AFP
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