General Buhari's Supporters In The Uk Donate Cash and Equipment towards His Campaign.

GENERAL Muhammadu Buhari's supporters in the UK have donated cash and equipment to his presidential bid  at a special reception in London attended by a member of his electoral campaign team Hon Farouk Aliyu.

At the event which took place in Brixton in southeast London yesterday, UK diasporans handed over cash, laptops, phones and other equipment to Hon Aliyu to take back to Nigeria. Organised by the Buhari Support Organisation Diaspora UK, the event attracted about 200 supporters, who all pledged their commitment to change.

Originally, General Buhari himself had planned to attend the event but the recent visit of US secretary of state John Kerry and the change to his campaign schedule meant he could not travel outside Nigeria. Standing in for him, however, Hon Aliyu, a close associate of the general who stood as the Congress for Progressive Change governorship candidate in Jigawa State in 2011,  promised to pass on everything that was said.

Hon Aliyu said: "We wanted to travel to the Vatican, the US and the UK but the campaign did not allow us as we wanted to finish it on January 31 but now this has been extended to February 5. So, unfortunately, the general could not make this trip as planned but if time permits before the elections, he will make the trips.

"Whatever the case, after the elections, after he has won, he will certainly come here to say thank you. Most of you that are outside the country surely hope to go back home and by the grace of God, we shall put most things right so you can return."

Listing a series of programmes General Buhari plans to introduce if elected, Hon Aliyu said that combating corruption, providing security and creating youth employment will be key targets for a new All Progressives Congress (APC) government. He also emphatically debunked suggestions that general Buhari was a Muslim hardliner or would marginalise Christians if he was elected president.

Expressing fears that the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) might try to rig the elections, Hon Aliyu said the APC had plans to ensure that the will of diasporans prevailed. He urged Nigerians in the UK to call their family members back home and tell them to vote for General Buhari.

Hon Aliyu added: "There are 120,000 polling units in Nigeria and we will have Androids at each polling station to provide real time results. We are also urging people to stay at the polling station after voting to ensure that they protect their votes."

He said the APC hopes that the PDP do not resort to rigging and violence as the party appears to be desperate at the moment. According to Hon Aliyu, the PDP has rebuffed approaches to plan for a smooth handover, with the dismissive suggestion that it will win come what may.

Speaking on behalf of diasporans, Councillor Adedamola Aminu, the mayor of Lambeth, urged Hon Aliyu to press for diaspora voting rights. He added that the UK diaspora remits $7.6bn annually to Nigeria, while the wider diaspora remits $21bn a year, making them big contributors to the economy and as such should enjoy the same rights as every other Nigerian.

Chief Wale Kalejaiye, the chairman of the Buhari Support Organisation Diaspora UK, said that more financial support will be forthcoming in the run-up to the elections. He added that diasporans wanted to contribute towards the campaign to show their commitment  to the cause.