from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – NIGERIAN political parties doubt President Muhammadu Buhari will fulfill his pledge of credible elections in 2023.
The doubts come after Buhari had during a virtual summit for democracy organised by President Joe Biden of the United States on Friday assured Nigerians and the international community of free and fair polls.
He pledged peaceful transfer of power to another administration after his tenure.
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) said the call had become necessary in view of the fact that all promises made by Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2015 and 2019 electioneering campaigns were not kept.
“For instance, today, Nigerians and the international communities, including the government of the United Kingdom, have been urging President Buhari to sign the amended Electoral Act 2021 into law,” said CNPP Secretary General, Willy Ezugwu.
“His (Buhari’s) foot dragging attitude and the body language of the presidency cast doubt on the sincerity of Mr President to keep his promises on free and fair elections in the country.”
CNPP has called for the arrest of individuals involved in electoral fraud.
The organisation called on Buhari to “as a matter of unforgettable legacy, sign the electoral act amendments into law without fear or favour.”
Formerly a military dictator, he succeeded Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
Among Jonathan’s legacies are signing the Freedom of Information Bill into law and conducting free and fair elections that saw an opposition party defeating a sitting president.
The 2023 elections are projected to be another two-horse between APC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that had been in power since the advent of democracy in 1999.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with an estimated 212 million people.
– CAJ News