Nigeria's Obasanjo defends election

Story Highlights

• Obasanjo: Election results reflect will of the Nigerian people
• Ruler says all elections he has taken part in since 1959 have been controversial
• Obasanjo says corruption no longer a "way of life" in his country

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LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- Just days after a presidential election marred by accusations of violence, fraud and voter intimidation, CNN's Isha Sesay sat down with Nigerian ruler Olusegun Obasanjo. In the exclusive interview, the former general defended the election and his administration's record on battling corruption. With just weeks remaining in office he reflects on his eight-year rule and looks forward to returning to his family farm.

Sesay: Nigerian elections have been undermined by allegations of serious election fraud, voter intimidation and poor preparations. It begs the question of how healthy is democracy in this nation?

Obasanjo: Democracy is very healthy. Well and kicking. In fact -- the three or four points you have made -- we are able to make these points because we are a democracy. If there is no democracy we would not talking about allegations and all that that.

Let me put it this way. In some cases it is not allegations because some people have spoken to me, political parties, observers and they give me their concrete experiences.

With all this what is my own position? My position is that at least a week before the first election on April 14 we had pollsters, American pollsters, very objective and they gave what they thought the result would be. The results that we had on the ground on April 14 and 21 were not really too dissimilar than what the pollsters said. I don't say that they have gone well. But what I am saying is that the result we have got is not too bad to say that it does not indicate the will of the people of Nigeria.

Sesay: Are you concerned that the legal challenges by all accounts that are to be mounted by parties will create a space for violence. Are you worried about the next five weeks?

Obasanjo: I can't be worried about the next five weeks. I have taken part in elections in this country since 1959. There is no election result that has not been controversial.

Sesay: Let's talk about your time in charge -- eight years, which will end on May 29 when you hand in power. Let's talk about progress that has been made starting with the issue of corruption. How do you think you did?

Obasanjo: Pass mark. I do not think we are there but definitely corruption has stopped to be a way of life. It has stopped to be a thing where you enter a government office and someone says to you: go and bring so much. Openly and unabashedly. Now, I don't say that corruption has been completely eliminated but we are fighting it. And people now know we are fighting it.

Sesay: The Niger Delta is an issue that people around the world know about. How did you think you did there?

Obasanjo: Before I came in, the amount of money going into the Niger Delta from oil produced in that area was less than 3 per cent. Today they are getting 13 per cent and you say things have not changed.

Sesay: Yet people say there are not schools there are not hospitals.

Obasanjo: There is not everywhere that you have schools. I would be the first to admit that. Not everywhere. But there are more schools in the Niger Delta today than there were eight years ago. There are more colleges; there are more admissions to schools and universities in the Niger delta today than there were eight years ago. So let us acknowledge progress has been made. And say yes we have made progress but there is need to make more progress and then we make more.

Sesay: What has been your biggest achievement?

Obasanjo: That there is hope for every Nigerian today. When we came in eight years ago there was disillusionment. There was despair. Many Nigerians were out and not prepared to come back.

Sesay: After eight years in charge, what advice do you have for the new man in waiting in the wings?

Obasanjo: I would say study what we have done. Continue to build on the good foundation. Of course, I will not expect that the new man will take everything lock, stock and barrel, but there are a lot of good things that he can continue to build. And if he does that then he is there.

Sesay: How do you think the people of Nigerians will look back at you?

Obasanjo: The way they look back on me after I left government as a military leader. That time people were more critical than these times. But I wouldn't have been invited back if people at the end of the day had not realized that there was a lot of good done during that time. And when people look at this, the eight years in perspective, two or three years from now, they will say, "How wrong were some Nigerians when they criticize."

Sesay: You say that with such certainty.

Obasanjo: Absolute certainly.

Sesay: What's next for you after politics?

Obasanjo: I go back to my farm and my family. I was called out from my farm and I will go back to the farm. And I am looking forward to going back to the farm.

Sesay: While they remain as allegations, they remain nonetheless. How much damage do you think this has done to Nigeria and its reputation?

Obasanjo: I don't think much damage has been done to Nigeria and its reputation abroad because while I was making my statement yesterday I also put some blame on part of the political parties. Now you see there is no perfect democracy or perfect election. Nobody can say that. But when you are in the process of strengthening and developing your democracy what are you doing? You are learning. You are improving. You are strengthening. You are deepening.

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