Articles summary
- President Buhari said he is leaving behind a credible electoral process that has guaranteed fair and transparent election results as well as reduced the influence of money.
- He said this is evidenced in the victory of candidates without any political godfather or access to money as they defeated other candidates with enough financial resources.
- The president said that under his administration the Nigerian economy has become more resilient due to the various strategies put in place.
President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that he is leaving behind a credible electoral process that guarantees fair and transparent result as well as reduce the influence of money to the barest minimum as he rounds up his 2-term presidency on Monday, May 29.
The president said that this legacy is evidenced in the victory of candidates without any political godfather or access to money as they defeated other candidates with enough financial resources.
This disclosure is contained in a farewell message by President Buhari which was broadcast live on Sunday, where he noted that the credibility of the electoral process is to ensure that democracy remains resilient and the elected representatives are accountable to the people.
What the President is saying
The speech from President Buhari partly reads,
- “To ensure that our democracy remains resilient and our elected representatives remain accountable to the people, I am leaving behind an electoral process which guarantees that votes count, results are credible, elections are fair and transparent and the influence of money in politics reduced to the barest minimum. And Nigerians can elect leaders of their choice.
- ‘’We are already seeing the outcome of this process as it provided an even playing field where persons without any political God-Father or access to money defeated other well-resourced candidates.’’
The economy has become more resilient
The president said that under his administration the Nigerian economy has become more resilient due to the various strategies put in place to ensure that it remained afloat during cases of economic downturn.
- He said, ‘’The Nigerian economy has become more resilient due to the various strategies put in place to ensure that our economy remained afloat during cases of global economic downturns.
- ‘’You would all recall the supply chain disruptions and economic downturn that the world witnessed between 2020 and 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The deftness of our response to the pandemic still remains a global best practice.
- ‘’Furthermore, we increased the ability of the poor and rural Nigerians to earn a living, provided more food for millions in our villages, and gave our women opportunities to earn a living.
- ‘’Young men and women in urban centers were also supported to put their skills into productive use. Our administration also provided an enabling environment for the private sector to engage in businesses for which their return on investments is guaranteed.
- ‘’The private sector proved a strong partner in our drive to build a resilient and sustainable economy as evidenced by the growing number of turn-key projects in various sectors of the economy.
- ‘’In the course of revamping the economy, we made some difficult choices, most of which yielded the desired results. Some of the measures led to temporary pain and suffering for which I sincerely apologized to my fellow countrymen, but the measures were taken for the overall good of the country.’’
What you should know
- The president’s statement is coming against the backdrop of the just concluded general election which has been highly disputed and alleged to have been marred by irregularities, especially with INEC’s failure to upload results electronically.
- While addressing a delegation led by the newly installed Emir of Dutse, Muhammad Sunusi, at the State House on April 6, Buhari said that some APC governors who lost their senatorial bids, attributing the loss to the electoral reforms his regime initiated by signing into law the Electoral Act amendment Bill in February 2022.