PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said no contender for any political office can claim millions of votes again in Nigeria.
A statement released on Tuesday in Abuja by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina said Buhari spoke while hosting some governors, ministers and other top functionaries in his government to break the Ramadan fast known as Iftar.
Buhari said the new Electoral Act will block the gaps previously exploited for election rigging.
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He noted that electronic transmission of results, which has been introduced in the Electoral Act, will prevent manipulation of election results.
In 2019, Buhari, who vied for the presidency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), polled over 15 million votes (15, 191, 847), representing 56 per cent of the total votes cast.
His closest challenger, the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar, won over 11 million votes (11, 262, 978) votes. Many parties from the scores of political parties in the country, fielded candidates for the election.
Meanwhile, data on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) website showed there were over 84 million (84,004,084) registered voters in the country as of Tuesday night, with 18 registered political parties.
Nigerians will elect new leaders, including the president, governors, federal and state legislators next year between February and March.
Meanwhile, the president urged the citizens to resist agents bent on causing a breakdown of law and order in the nation.
He vowed that his administration will not allow any individual or group to destabilise the country.
‘‘We have the land, we have the resources, and we have the people. But I do not know why people will allow themselves to be successfully subverted to destabilise their own country,’’ the president said.
He expressed confidence that the country will succeed despite the current security challenges.
Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Ekiti State Kayode Fayemi commended the president for demonstrating resilience and determination at a crucial period in the nation’s history.
“We have a leader who is not distracted by momentary challenges but has continued to commit to the renewal of our nation, and we, governors, ministers and heads of government agencies, are equally dedicated to building a better Nigeria, on your watch,” he said.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ [email protected]