I’m leaving behind credible electoral process, says Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, in Abuja, said he is bequeathing a credible, fair and transparent electoral process as he concludes his two-term presidency on Monday.
Buhari said his legacy is evidenced by the victory of seemingly disadvantaged candidates over their well-resourced opponents who relied on God-fathers.
In a televised farewell message aired early Sunday, the outgoing President said “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.”
According to him, “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.”
Like the presidential and National Assembly elections, however, the state elections held last March were reportedly marred by irregularities especially with INEC’s failure to upload results electronically.
But on several fora, Buhari had hailed the process as largely successful.
Addressing a delegation led by the newly installed Emir of Dutse, Muhammad Sunusi, at the State House on April 6, Buhari cited 10 All Progressives Congress governors who lost their senatorial bids.
He said the loss speaks of the electoral reforms his regime initiated by signing into law the Electoral Act amendment Bill in February 2022.
“Assumption is always that you are Governor for eight years and you go to the Senate to crown the career. No one should underrate the Nigerian voter anymore. Politics will be more difficult, henceforth,” Buhari said.
President Buhari also said that some of the hard-hitting policies of his eight-year regime were for the “overall good of the country.”
Buhari who admitted that his policies brought “temporary pain and suffering” to millions of Nigerians said they “yielded the desired results” nonetheless.
The outgoing President said “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 apologised to my fellow countrymen, but the measures were taken for the overall good of the country.”
President Buhari said he is leaving Nigeria much better than he met it in May 2015 when he first assumed office.
He also expressed fulfillment in his performance so far as he retires home to Daura, Katsina State, after handing over to his successor, Bola Tinubu, on Monday.
“I am confident that I am leaving office with Nigeria better in 2023 than in 2015,” Buhari said.
Buhari made a similar boast of having run his race and finishing his course on Thursday when he conferred the national honours of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger on President-elect Bola Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, respectively.
This time, he called on Nigerians to support the incoming administration to “sustain the gains made so far.”
According to Buhari, “As I retire home to Daura, Katsina State, I feel fulfilled that we have started the Nigeria Re-Birth by taking the initial critical steps and I am convinced the in-coming administration will quicken the pace of this walk to see a Nigeria that fulfills its destiny to be a great nation.”
The naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria had led to a nationwide shortage of naira notes.
Many farmers, particularly those in remote villages, switched to trade by barter in order to feed, losing about N30bn in the process, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria stated.
The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions also revealed that banks lost N5bn nationwide, following attacks and destruction of facilities by irate customers.
In early March, a supreme court ruling stopped the CBN from proceeding with the policy which planned to mop up N3trn of old notes from circulation and introduce new ones in controlled amounts.
