International Democracy Day: Atiku urges INEC to ensure credible elections in 2023

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday acknowledged the 2022 International Democracy Day, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other agencies of government playing roles in the electoral process to ensure that the outcome of the 2023 general election is a true reflection of the desires of the people.

Atiku, in a statement on Thursday on the occasion marking the International Day for Democracy, noted that the celebration of democracy is, indeed, a celebration of the people’s power.

He noted that although there have been significant improvements in the processes that elections are conducted in Nigeria, “the 2023 episode is an opportunity for INEC to show that the commission has grown beyond partisanship,” he stated.

“In 2023, Nigerians will be voting for the leadership that they truly believe will lead this country out of the current dire situation and it is important to use the opportunity of the celebration, this day, to tell not just the INEC but other agencies and non-governmental organisations involved in the conduct of election that the next election should be the freest and fairest ever in the history of Nigeria.”

The PDP presidential candidate also congratulated Nigerians for being part of the global community of people practicing democracy and, to remind the electorates in Nigeria to remember that democracy is an enabler of good governance.

“Good governance is the ultimate end game. And the democracy that we practice is the only veritable vehicle that can drive us safely to the establishment of a government that will give us good governance and ensure that the rule of law is entrenched in our body politic,” Atiku said.

He pledged that under his watch, press freedom, a fundamental foundation of democracy, will be guaranteed. “A free, robust and unencumbered press is key to nurturing democracy and development”.