New Year Message: Nigeria’s Must Choose Their Own Leader – Buhari; Says 2023 Critical

By Akinwale Kasali

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Year 2023 is critical to the development and growth of the nation as it would witness a transition in Government.

In achieving a successful transition after eight years in the saddle, President Buhari again promised Nigerians a free, fair and credible election, saying that the electorates should be relaxed and have confidence in the electoral process.

In his New Year Message released on Saturday, the President also gave a personal commitment that he would ensure that the elections were free and fair, noting that Nigerians would decide their next leaders. He said Nigerians must resist being used by politicians to cause unrest and that there would be consequences for any breach of peace during the elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission fixed February 25 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections while Governorship and state Assembly elections  are scheduled for March 11.

In the message, which he described as valedictory, the President stated: “After having the honour of serving you, my compatriots, for the last seven-plus years, my tenure as your President in the most revered tradition of our ongoing and maturing democracy must necessarily come to an end.

“In the next five months, we would have gone to the polls and elected a new president along with new governors and a plethora of other elected officials at both the national and state levels. All these electoral and democratic principles are working in concert because of the transcendent beliefs, beyond partisan politics, of you, the great citizens of Nigeria.

“In addition is my personal commitment and executive promise to see to the letter that the 2023 elections being diligently conducted by INEC will be free and fair. The collective electoral will and votes of Nigerians will be fulfilled, even in the twilight moments of my watch.”

“In year 2023, Nigerians go to the polls to exercise our right to vote and elect a new administration. It is an important year for our country to ensure that we have another smooth transition of government, to whoever the people have decided upon. This administration’s landmark Amended Electoral Act will ensure that we have free and fair elections across the nation.”

The Daura, Katsina State born President Urged Nigerians to take responsibility by ensuring that the elections were free and fair by not engaging and shunning acts that could affect the polls. “We must also resist every attempt to be used by politicians to create unrest in any form to disrupt the elections. We, as government, will ensure such activities are met with the full force of the law,” he added.

Speaking further, he appealed to Nigerians to assist security agencies with intelligence, noting that security is a collective responsibility. He said with the successes recorded in the North-East, internally displaced persons were being resettled in their homes while progress was being made in the North-West and other regions. He added that police reform programme based on a new presidential vision for Policing in Nigeria was ongoing.

As regards the economy, the President said his regime was focused on building on the Gross Domestic Product and sustaining the huge surge in the non-oil GDP growth. He promised the nationwide implementation of the Start-Up Act, which he said would boost job creation and reduce unemployment given that youths were the country’s most valuable natural resource.

He added, “The year 2023 would, indeed, be a time when we would work to solidify on delivering key strategic priorities under our SEA (Security, Economy and Anti-Corruption) Agenda. Our security forces are working in partnership to ensure the wins we have got in the war against insurgency, banditry, secession and other crimes are sustained and more wins acquired.

“For the economy, the ongoing infrastructure revolution by our administration will see us deliver the key projects across the nation in power, rail, roads, ports and technology. We as a government are committed to ridding our nation of all forms of corruption, through the collaboration with all the arms of government to effectively prosecute this fight.”