‘Lessons have been learnt’ — Buhari says 2023 elections show Nigeria’s democracy is maturing

 

President Muhammadu Buhari says the conduct of the 2023 general election has shown that a government can be elected peacefully and fairly.

 

Femi Adesina, presidential spokesperson, in a statement, said Buhari spoke on Friday while addressing the Commonwealth leaders summit in London.

 

Buhari is in the European country to attend the coronation of Charles III as king of the United Kingdom and leader of the Commonwealth.

 

Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of the presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 1 and is expected to be sworn into office on May 29.

However, Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi, standard-bearer of the Labour Party (LP) are challenging Tinubu’s victory in court.

 

Buhari said he was satisfied with the conduct of the elections in Nigeria considering the turnout of voters and the generally peaceful atmosphere under which the polls took place.

 

“These elections saw a remarkable turnout of voters and proof that Nigeria’s democracy is maturing. Despite some pockets of violence, we have demonstrated that a government can be elected peacefully and fairly,” Buhari said.

 

 “Lessons have been learnt and moving forward, we hope to perform even better. Based on this, I am delighted to note that we have taken another step towards deepening our democracy with peaceful, transparent and credible outcomes.

 

“Though we are aware that challenges still exist, we are committed to working towards greater participation of all Nigerians in the democratic process, including those in the diaspora.

 

“As I come before you today, I am also mindful that this would be my last official engagement with His Majesty The King and some of you as I leave office on 29 May 2023. I, therefore, feel both humble and grateful for this extraordinary and significantly important moment.

 

“Over the years, I have worked cordially with the leaders of the Commonwealth to achieve the values and principles of the Commonwealth which are shared by its members – the aspirations of the Commonwealth family which include positioning it to be a strong and respected voice in the world and improving the lives of all its citizens are being vigorously pursued.”