President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, said the upcoming 2023 general elections would affirm the institutional strength of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as it would deliver acceptable, credible and violence-free elections to Nigerians.
President Buhari who disclosed this when he received a high-powered delegation from Nasarawa State, led by the State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, also said the successful conduct of the three off-season elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states had confirmed his administration’s irreversible commitment to credible and violence-free polls in the country.
He, however, urged the electorate to vote the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next general elections, to ensure continuity in the polity, and stability in the country and West African region.
According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President told the delegation that the Electoral Act he signed earlier in the year was an attestation of the fulfilment of the administration’s determination and commitment to the tenets of the rule of law.
“My desire for our nation is that the 2023 elections should clearly mark the commencement of the institutional strength of our electoral body in conducting acceptable, credible and violence-free elections. The forthcoming general elections will provide us with the opportunity to convince the electorate on the need for continuity to enable our party to consolidate on our achievements in the last 7 years.”
Noting that Nasarawa remains very dear to his heart, President Buhari described the state as the symbol of hope and determination in collective efforts to entrench democracy in Nigeria.
He recounted that in 2011, the state stood out during the general elections of that year, as the one state that compensated the political efforts in the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), defying rigging and ensuring that their voices mattered. “I am optimistic that the people of the state, the APC government and this broad representation of your delegation, will not disappoint me, as we sustain concerted efforts in pushing forward the frontiers of good governance in our country”, he said.
Governor Sule told the President that the delegation comprising political office holders, royal fathers and community leaders was in the Villa to show appreciation for the numerous projects executed by the Buhari Administration which Nasarawa State ‘‘is among the great beneficiaries.’’
