The general elections in 2023 will be free, fair, and credible, according to President Muhammadu Buhari, who has reaffirmed that manipulations of any kind will not be tolerated.
Tuesday, the President gave a speech at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to the West African Elders Forum Pre-Election Mediation Mission, which was headed by Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, a former president of Sierra Leone.
The president urged the leaders of West African nations to consistently assure credible, free, and fair elections.
The President thanked his guests for agreeing to do this duty for the sub-region and mentioned the off-season elections that were held in the states of Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun as evidence that the federal government would let people elect the leaders they desired.
President Buhari stated, “That right is assured,” and added, “We are settling down and moving forward. Voters should cast their ballots for anybody and whichever party they choose. We won’t permit anyone to frighten the populace with force and cash. Nigerians are wiser today and are aware that conversation is preferable to carrying firearms. Election rigging is becoming significantly more challenging.
Former President Koroma led a team that included Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, a former Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Fatoumata Tambajang, and Ann Iyonu, Executive Director of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation. They met with stakeholders from various parties, civil society organizations, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, among others.
He praised President Buhari for not giving in to pressure to run for a third term in office, which would have violated national law, stating that “other countries look up to Nigeria for direction.”
The former President claimed that Nigeria intervened to stabilize the system when there were problems in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
He encouraged the president of Nigeria to investigate additional issues that stakeholders had brought up, such as security concerns and matters that would call into question the fairness and legitimacy of the elections.
In the meantime, President Buhari will receive Guinea-highest Bissau’s honor on Wednesday in Bissau as acknowledgment for his services to the country’s political stability.
He will accept Umaro Sissolo Embalo, the president of Guinea-Bissauinvitation ,’s to attend the special celebration, which will be held at the Presidential Villa and include the opening of a road named after him, Avenue President Muhammadu Buhari, in the nation’s capital.
The one-day event will showcase President Buhari’s leadership in the West Coast region, notably in Guinea Bissau, where he routinely counsels and inspires leaders on the values of peace, political inclusivity, integrity, and fostering a robust economy that fosters shared prosperity.
President Buhari and the Nigerian team will take part in a bilateral meeting while in Bissau.
Amb. Zubairu Dada, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Maj. Gen. Mohammed B. Monguno (Ret. ), and Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, will travel with the President.
