President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians and the international community of free and fair elections when citizens go to the polls to elect a new leader in 2023.
He gave the assurance on Friday at a Virtual Summit for Democracy organised by President Joe Biden of the United States, saying necessary mechanisms would be strengthened to ensure Nigeria witnesses another peaceful transfer of power.
“As we countdown to our next general elections in 2023, we remain committed to putting in place and strengthening all necessary mechanisms to ensure that Nigeria will not only record another peaceful transfer of power to an elected democratic government but will also ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.
“Your Excellencies, Nigeria will continue to actively support the democratisation processes in our region West Africa and the African continent at large. But regrettably, our democratic gains of the past decades are under threats of unconstitutional takeover of power.
“This unwholesome trend, sometimes in reaction to unilateral amendments of constitutions by some leaders, must not be tolerated by the international community. Nigeria fully supports the efforts by ECOWAS to address this growing challenge and appreciates the support of both the African Union and the United Nations.”
President Buhari lamented that Nigeria has continued to face security challenges that pose a threat to democracy, and called on global partners to support the government’s efforts in tackling insurgency and terrorism.
The country, he said, has had over two decades of uninterrupted democratic governance and has unequivocally remained committed to upholding the core values and principles of democracy.
“Since assuming office in 2015, we have been able to introduce mechanisms to ensure free, fair, and credible elections,” he told the summit. “We have strengthened our key anti-corruption agencies in collaboration with international partners and have undertaken several anti-corruption measures and initiatives.”
