Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president, has 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.
The Nigerian leader made the appeal on Friday while receiving a delegation from Nasarawa State led by Governor Abdullahi Sule at the State House, Abuja.
He said the 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.
The President, in a statement issued by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, told the high-powered delegation that the Electoral Act, signed by him earlier this year, was an attestation of the fulfilment of the administration’s determination and commitment to the tenets of the rule of law.
‘‘On the issues of credible, free and fair elections in the country, I have always re-assured my listeners both at home and abroad, my personal desire and indeed the priority of this administration is to bequeath to our nation an irreversible political process that continues to be both democratic and acceptable to the people.
‘‘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. The Government and people of Nasarawa State, as usual, have a great role to play in returning our party to governance in the 2023 elections, in order to create a path for greater socio- economic growth and development. This is not only important for Nigeria alone but also for the West African Sub-Region.”
Buhari, who said Nasarawa remained very dear to his heart, described the State as the symbol of hope and determination in collective efforts to entrench democracy in Nigeria.
He recounted that during the 2011 general elections, the State stood out as the one that compensated the political efforts in the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), defying rigging and ensuring that their voices mattered.
‘‘To demonstrate this admiration and appreciation to the people of Nasarawa State, I personally attended the inauguration of Governor Tanko Al- Makura on May 29, 2011. In 2015 and 2019, the State remained one of the strongholds of our great party, the APC.
‘‘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.’’