The 2023 general elections will be free, fair, and credible, according to President Muhammadu Buhari, who also pledged that fraud will not be tolerated.
While receiving the West African Elders Forum Pre-Election Mediation Mission led by the former president of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma at the State House in Abuja, Buhari gave this guarantee.
He said, “Thank you for accepting to do this service for our sub-region.”
The President pointed to the fact that the Federal Government would permit people to choose the politicians they want by citing the off-season elections held in the states of Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun.
“That right is guaranteed. We are settling down, and making progress. People should vote whoever they want, in whatever party. We shall not allow anyone to use money and thugs to intimidate the people.
“Nigerians know better now, they are wiser, and know that it is better to dialogue than to carry weapons. Elections are even more difficult to rig now,” Buhari affirmed.
Former President Koroma oversaw a group that included Ann Iyonu, Executive Director of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Fatoumata Tambajang, a former Vice President of The Gambia, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, a former Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, and Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas.
Koroma said they had met with stakeholders across the parties, civil society, and Independent National Electoral Commission, among others, “and we commend you for making it clear both locally and internationally that the elections would be free and fair.”
He commended Buhari for not seeking a third term in office, against the laws of the country, noting that “other countries look up to Nigeria for direction.”
“When we had issues in Sierra Leone and Liberia, it was Nigeria that came in to stabilize the system,” he said.
The former president urged the President Buhari to look into other areas of concern as raised by the stakeholders, “including security, and issues that may cast doubts on the clarity and credibility of the elections.”