President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday\u00a0said \u00a0the May 29 handover date remained sacrosanct….<\/p>\n
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\nAccording to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President gave the assurance during a closed-door meeting with the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, at the State House, Marina, Lagos.
\nThe statement was signed by the President.
\nHe said he had what he called \u201ca candid and constructive discussion\u201d about a broad range of issues with his guest.
\nThe president said he emphasised to Kerry that he was deeply committed to ensuring that the elections were free, fair and credible.
\nHe added that he also promised his guest that his government would provide all resources that were required by the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct hitch-free elections.
\nJonathan said, \u201cI emphasised to Secretary Kerry that I am deeply committed to ensuring that our forthcoming election is free, fair, and credible.
\n\u201cIt is especially critical that all political parties abide by the Abuja Accord, which commits each to non-violence before, during, and after the election.
\n\u201cI made it absolutely clear that the May 29th handover date is sacrosanct.
\n\u201cIn addition, the government will provide all resources that are required by the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that the election goes smoothly.
\n\u201cI also emphasized that INEC is an independent body, which makes its own decisions without any interference from the government.\u201d
\nThe President said he was grateful to the US for standing with Nigeria and its people in the nation\u2019s fight against Boko Haram.
\nHe said he reaffirmed his administration\u2019s commitment to working together with the US to put an end to global terrorism and particularly Boko Haram.
\nHe promised that Nigeria would also work to deepen and consolidate on its bilateral relationship with the US.
\nThe President described Nigeria as a vibrant democracy and the largest trading partner of the US in Africa with over $18bn in bilateral trade<\/p>\n
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President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday\u00a0said \u00a0the May 29 handover date remained sacrosanct…. . According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n