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Africa Live: I have no apology for trying to delay Senegal polls: Sall - BBC News Africa Live: I have no apology for trying to delay Senegal polls: Sall - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Waihiga Mwaura
BBC News, Dakar Nigeria has signed a deal to build a 20MW hybrid hydro-solar power generating plant, the first instalment in a 300MW project.
Senegal’s President Macky Sall has said that he had no regrets for his attempts to postpone elections that were due to be held last month, sparking deadly protests in the country. The project is part of the country's plan to transition to clean and renewable energy solutions.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Sall said that the decision to delay the vote was not taken unilaterally, but was due to electoral concerns raised by members of parliament. The project will be built in Shiroro, in the central Niger state and will be a collaboration between the privately owned North South Power (NSP) Company and the state-run Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).
"I have no apology to make, I have done nothing wrong. I am speaking to you as president of the republic. All the actions that have been taken have been within the framework of the law and regulations," President Sall said. "This is a pioneering project in terms of hybridising power in solar and hydro," Nigeria's Vice-President Kashim Shettima said during the signing of the agreement on Tuesday.
His plans to delay the polls, which led to violent clashes and political tension across the country, were eventually overturned by the country’s top court. He added that it will help the country diversify its energy sources.
The elections are due to be held on Sunday after a failed bid to push them to December. Nigeria has faced power problems for years, despite being a major gas and oil producer.
Critics had accused the president of trying to extend his stay in power. The country's inadequate and inconsistent electricity supply often causes widespread blackouts and power cuts and occasionally leads to total failure of the national power grid.
But Mr Sall insists that he will not stay a day longer even if Sunday’s vote presents no outright winner. Most homes and businesses usually resort to generators, inverters and other sources of electricity to avoid dependence on the unreliable national grid.
Last week, the main opposition leader and one of Mr Sall’s fiercest critics Ousmane Sonko and his party’s presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye were released from prison under a presidential amnesty.
President Sall denies that the charges against his rivals were politically motivated.
He is standing down after serving two terms in office.
His ruling coalition party Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) has picked 62-year-old Amadou Ba to run for the presidency.
Read more on Senegal election crisis:
'We feel betrayed by President Macky Sall'
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