President Muhammadu Buhari has lauded the holding of the 2023 general election as a big success of his government.
Buhari stressed in a Sallah greeting to the Muslim community that his administration had created a level playing field for all candidates, regardless of party affiliation.
The president also praised the election’s transparency, highlighting instances in which members of his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), lost seats.
Buhari underlined his administration’s commitment to safeguarding the ideals of free and fair elections, emphasising the importance of such values in establishing a legitimate democracy. He underscored that subverting the decision of the people would destroy democracy, and he reiterated that his government had not tampered with the electoral process to give anyone an undue advantage.
“I’m glad that I provided a level playing field for all contenders, regardless of party membership, in order to deliver a fair conclusion for everybody,” he stated.
“Free and fair elections are the only values that give our democracy respect, because subverting the will of the people weakens democracy itself.”
The president stated that “free and fair elections are the only values that lend legitimacy to our democracy since subverting the decision of the people weakens democracy itself.”
“At no time did I meddle with the process in order to give anyone an undue advantage,” he continued.
The presidential and national assembly elections were held on February 25, while the gubernatorial and state assembly elections were held on March 18. When the APC’s Bola Tinubu was proclaimed the victor of the presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged the outcome before the electoral petition tribunal.
