2023 polls: Buhari vows full force of law against disruption

Says I’ve done my best for Nigeria in last New Year message as president

Lawan, Gbaja, Atiku, govs, others push for peaceful elections

With the 2023 elections set to commence 56 days from now,President Muhammadu Buhari  has vowed that any activity designed to disrupt the polls will be met with the full force of the law.

He wants the generality of Nigerians to resist  any move to sabotage the elections.

Buhari ,in his new year message, says it is incumbent  on all to “take responsibility to ensure we participate in ensuring that the 2023 elections are free and fair by not engaging in anti-state activities and other nefarious acts that may affect the run of the polls.”

 The next five months according to him, will be critical for the country and his administration which, he says ,will  focus on three key areas  -Security, Economy and the Anti-corruption campaigns.

He highlights some of his achievements over the last seven and a half years  ,stressing that he is not unaware of the various thoughts and opinions of people about the legacies of his government.

But he explains that having done his best for the country he welcomes both the accolades and criticisms of his performance by all.

Similar  new year messages came in from Senate President Ahmad  Lawan,House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila,presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and that of Labour Party (LP),Mr. Peter Obi,among others.

“As we welcome the New Year, let us look with hope to 2023, a year to move forward as a Nation, towards unity, progress and prosperity. I offer my own personal felicitations, mindful of the various opinions and interpretations of our executive legacies,” Buhari said.

“I welcome and accept both the accolades and criticisms in equal measure, secure in the conviction that I did my best to serve our dear country Nigeria and I pray that the next president will also pick up the baton and continue the race to make Nigeria one of the leading countries of the world by the end of this century.”

He described the new year as  very significant because it will see the transitioning from one elected administration to another, and urged Nigerians to play their part in ensuring free and fair elections.

His words:”In the next five months we would have gone to the polls and elected a new president along with new governors and a plethora of other elected officials at both the national and state levels. 

“All these electoral and democratic principles are working in concert because of the transcendent beliefs, beyond partisan politics, of you the great citizen of Nigeria. In addition is my personal commitment and executive promise to see to the letter that the 2023 elections being diligently conducted by INEC will be free and fair. The collective electoral will and votes of Nigerians will be fulfilled, even in the twilight moments of my watch. 

“In year 2023, Nigerians  go to the polls to exercise our right to vote and elect a new administration, it is an important year for our country to ensure that we have another smooth transition of government, to whoever the people have decided upon. This administration’s landmark Amended Electoral Act will ensure that we have free and fair elections across the nation. 

“We as Nigerians must also take responsibility to ensure we participate in ensuring that the 2023 elections are free and fair by not engaging in anti-state activities and other nefarious acts that may affect the run of the polls. We must also resist every attempt to be used by politicians to create unrest in any form to disrupt the elections. We, as government will ensure such activities are met with the full force of the law.”

He listed his achievements to include  the gains in the fight against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping as well as managing to stabilise  the economy despite the hardship imposed on, not just Nigeria, but the entire world in 2022 by the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia/Ukraine war.

He said: “Reflecting on year 2022 allows us as a government to examine our legacies of successes and challenges. As we celebrate our wins and review obstacles, we all must understand that governance is a continuum, which still places a transitional responsibility on this administration to provide for the incoming government a non-partisan and objective roadmap for 2023. 

“We as Nigeria; one country, united under the will of God and actively growing as an indivisible entity, have been enabled year after year, decade after decade, to weather all stormy waters and emerge stronger and better where others have fallen and disintegrated. This has made us a unique nation across the globe and our continent.

“Despite the ongoing global economic crisis, we have been able to weather the storms. Inflation across the globe is at its highest, the Federal Government has been resolute, through its economic interventions, to remain above water during this period. 2022 brought a combined impact from ongoing wars and aftereffects of COVID-19. 

“Though creating its own fiscal challenges, we have continued to subsidize our energy costs to buffer households from inflationary pressure of high energy costs. In 2023, we are focused on building on our GDP and sustain the huge surge in the non-oil GDP growth.”

On the fight against insecurity, he said: “as our security agencies continue to make the country proud, we must continue to assist our patriotic forces by providing much needed community intelligence. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that Nigeria remains safe and peaceful for us all. Therefore, we have a duty and obligation to support our troops and intelligence agencies by being alert and reporting anything suspicious. 

“The fight against insurgency in the North East region has continually recorded very clear wins in the past year. The Federal Government and the Borno State government, have started the journey of returning internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes earlier taken by the insurgents.

“Also, over 82,000 insurgents with their families have surrendered to the Nigerian military. A number of surrendered insurgents are currently being processed by the rehabilitation (Operation Safe Corridor) program. The fight against banditry, kidnapping and other crimes in the North West and other regions is gaining momentum and showing very clear results. One of which is the resumption of Train Service along the Kaduna to Abuja corridor.

“In the aftermath of the EndSars, our administration took heed and instituted the ongoing Police Reform program, based on a new Presidential Vision for Policing in Nigeria. This new vision is framed in a clear road map that transcends the tenure of this administration and it is predicated on six principles: a) Building Trust and Legitimacy b) Leadership, Accountability and Oversight c)Technology and digital media d) Community Policing and Crime Reduction ) Officers Training and Education f) Funding, Officers’ Welfare, Wellness and Safety. 

“This reform program is very much in its foundational phase, but has recorded noteworthy successes in improving police welfare and their emoluments. Other gains have been the ongoing training of 500 police cadet trainers to enable a better training regimen for the 2022 first batch of the 10,000 new cadets with an additional 10,000 set for 2023. In support of these reforms has been the provisioning of new material for the Nigeria Police to steadily improve on its constitutional responsibility to enforce law and order, protect lives and property as well as street level peace and security.”

Read Also: Leave legacy of free elections, Reps Minority caucus tell Buhari

He said the recently passed Nigerian Startup Act is a “ huge step in lowering our unemployment figures by boosting job creation and supporting the entrepreneurial drive of our youths. If you recall in my 2021 New Year speech, I had mentioned the need to secure the future of our youth recognizing that our young people are our most valuable natural resource, at home and abroad.

“In this regard, we worked with the legislature to develop an enabling law to turn their passions into ideas that can be supported, groomed and scaled across regions. 2023 will see the implementation of the Nigerian Start Up Act nationwide.”

He said his administration will be focusing, in the next five months, on Security, Economy and Anti-Corruption, also known as the ‘SEA’ Agenda.

“The year 2023 would, indeed, be a time when we would work to solidify on delivering key strategic priorities under our “SEA” – (Security, Economy and Anti-Corruption) Agenda. Some of the key priority areas we would direct our attention and strengths to include:

 “Focus on SECURITY; we will continue to engage, push back and dismantle the operations of both internal and external extremist and criminal groups waging war against our communities across the Nation. We will also focus on ensuring that free and fair elections would be held come February 2023. Our security forces are working in partnership to ensure the wins we have got in war against insurgency, banditry, secession and other crimes are sustained and more wins acquired.  

“For the ECONOMY; our focus would be on maintaining and building economic growth through the national economic diversification agenda that supports the goal of national food self-sufficiency and growth in non-oil sources. The ongoing infrastructure revolution by our administration will see us deliver the key projects across the nation in power, rail, roads, ports and technology. 

“ANTI-CORRUPTION: On the anti-corruption drive of our administration, we have created new records in this fight, growing from 117 convictions in 2017 to 3,615 convictions as at December 2022. We as a government are committed to ridding our nation of all forms of corruption, through the collaboration with all the arms of Government to effectively prosecute this fight.”

Lawan: We have kept faith with Nigerians

Senate President ,  Ahmad Lawan , said the Ninth National Assembly has kept faith with Nigerians by remaining unwavering in the implementation of its Legislative Agenda.

Lawan appreciated and commended the people for having faith in their country and for always supporting efforts at building a virile nation.

The Senate President also urged Nigerians to seize the opportunities provided to take active part in the ongoing electoral process.

Lawan said the Electoral Act 2022 had ignited hope in the system and heightened expectations about the forthcoming general elections.

Lawan said: “The Ninth National Assembly has been a very active participant in this process of nation building.

“At our inception in 2019, we set out a robust Legislative Agenda to advance our collective aspirations as a nation and make positive impacts in the lives of our people. A Senate that works for Nigerians. We have remained unwavering in our commitment to the agenda.

“It is less than six months to the end of this Assembly. I am proud to say that all of us have kept faith with the Nigerian people as their representatives.

 “The Ninth Assembly has been the breaker of many legislative jinxes in this Fourth Republic, having recorded breakthroughs in many areas of our national legislative environment that had defied the interventions of previous Assemblies.

“First and foremost, we have enhanced stability in governance through productive cross-party collaboration with the other arms of government, particularly the Executive. This has yielded fruits in the unprecedented number of quality Bills passed by the National Assembly and duly signed into law by the President.

“Some of the most critical of such Bills that have been signed into law include the Deep Offshore and inland Basin Production Sharing Contract (amendment) Act, 2019, Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020, Nigeria Police Reform Act, 2020, Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, and Electoral Act, 2022, just to mention a few. These are critical legislative interventions relevant to the promotion of good governance in our dear nation.

“For instance, the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill 2022 has rekindled interest in political participation in our country and raised confidence in our electoral process. We passed this Bill early enough and with some innovations to guarantee better conduct of our elections especially beginning from the 2023 elections. 

“We were also able to reset our financial years to make our budget cycle stable and predictable. This change has helped immensely in the implementation of projects and programmes, as well as in general performance of the national budgets.”

Gbajabiamila optimistic about Nigeria’s future

House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the new year would  be significant for Nigerians as the  citizens will be electing  new leaders to pilot the affairs of the country.

Gbajabiamila said he is optimistic about the opportunities and possibilities that lie ahead and urged Nigerians to remain resolute and determined as a people.

He noted that 2023 is a defining year for Nigeria, which is why the citizens should be united and speak with one voice.

The Speaker wished Nigerians success individually and collectively in 2023, calling for prayers for successful elections.

Atiku: 2023 is defining moment for our great country Nigeria

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in his own new year message, said he is “inspired by the compelling need to provide leadership that will propel Nigeria to greater heights, to overcome our challenges and together as ONE Recover and Rebuild a United, Strong and Prosperous Nigeria.”

He  asked Nigerians not to despair with the situation of things in the country but to trust his party to make things right again.

Let’s join to build a new nation, Obi urges Nigerians

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, called on Nigerians to unite their efforts in the journey of taking back the nation from the cold hands of corruption, insecurity and unproductivity.

He explained that the nation cannot continue in its all-round retrogressive movement in the coming years, as that will result in total collapse of the nation.

“2023 is an existential year in the history of our nation. It is a year we all must unite against the continued abuse of our nation’s democracy and economy. The power is in our hands to take back our nation, in the coming year, and make it work,” he said.

Omo-Agege charges Deltans to reflect on state’s liberation, devt.

Deputy Senate President and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, charged Deltans to reflect on how to free the state from incompetent hands and betrayers in the year 2023.

Omo-Agege said every challenge in the state would  be overcome and urged the people of the state to seize the opportunity offered by this year’s elections to elect people who will redress the wrongs of governance in the state.

He said:”We have before us in the March 2023 election, an opportunity and responsibility to take back our state from the hands and control of the people who wasted our resources and betrayed our people.

“Responsible leadership is needed now, more than at any other time in our history, to provide guidance, hope and inspiration for our collective success.”

Southern Senators to Nigerians: Only unity, patriotism can bring progress, prosperity

The Southern Senators Forum said  Nigeria can only witness progress and prosperity if all citizens value unity and patriotism.

 As Nigerians step into another new year, the Senators stressed  the  need to forge a united nation, fortify the country’s bonds and make it strong to overcome the cankerworms of corruption, insecurity and economic deprivation.

The forum’s Chairman and Senator representing Ekiti Central, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, in a statement in Abuja appealed to religious and political leaders not to make incendiary and inflammatory comments that can further widen the existing cleavages and stoke the fire of disunity that has been the main challenge ripping the country apart.

He said the country was brought together through God’s design without the input of any mortal and urged Nigerians to guard the country’s unity jealously.