AfriPulse
March 09, (THEWILL) – The Presidency has ruled out the possibility of taking any decision that would lead to the annulment of the February 25 presidential election.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this position in a report, chronicling key takeaways from President Muhammadu Buhari’s recently-concluded trip to Doha, Qatar, where he attended the 5th United Nations summit on Least Developed Countries.
It said despite alleged irregularities and harsh criticism of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the outcome of the presidential election, the result of the poll still stands until otherwise proven in court.
Controversies have trailed the conduct and outcome of the February 25 presidential election, as INEC has been accused to have failed to follow strictly the Electoral Act as regards the transmission of the results from the BVAS to iREV immediately after collation at the Pulling Units.
Also, reports from home and abroad including the Chatham House, have said the election, fell short from the expectations of majority of the electorate.
However, Shehu advised any candidate or political party that is not satisfied with the conduct and outcome of the election to approach the court for redress.
He said, while speaking to Nigerians in the Diaspora about the ongoing political transition, President Buhari called for support for the incoming government of Bola Tinubu, “so that Nigeria will continue to be the beacon of hope and prosperity in our continent and an example for other African countries to emulate.”
Shehu said the trip, “More than any other, speaks to the courage, political stamina and statesmanship with which the President has managed the affairs of the nation.
“In the buildup to the trip, he was faced with orchestrated attempts to poison public opinion against national institutions, particularly the presidential election and its conduct by the independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as an institution, against which vile and unsubstantiated allegations were hurled.
“The clear intent of this was creating an atmosphere of fear, polarising the public and demonising the administration of the President. The wishful thinkers appeared to assume that the June 12, 1993 election crisis, the worst ever since the Civil War could be recreated.
“Those who sought to do this forgot what the President said at the palace of the Gbong-Gwon Jos, when he went to the city to inaugurate the Tinubu-Shettima campaign: “this election will not be annulled; whoever is the winner will be president.
“President Buhari not only muted himself following the cacophony, he picked up international travel: “Bola Tinubu’s election stands. If you are aggrieved, and you have the locus to do so, go to court.’
“President Buhari used the opportunity of the visit to speak to his guests about the recent election in Nigeria and the fact that a new President would be taking over in less than three months. He hoped that the strong relations he had built between those countries will continue to endure in the new administration.
“The highlight of the conference for Nigeria was the national address on the theme of this year’s event “From Potential to Prosperity”, a speech that observers described as strikingly activist. In it, the President criticized the current structure of the global financial system which, he said, “places an unsustainable external debt burden on the most vulnerable countries.”
Source: TheWillNigeria | Read More
