The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), late Thursday, in Abuja, described the 2023 general election as “one of the proudest achievements” of his regime.
He added that the electoral reforms occasioned by the signing of the Electoral Act (2022) created a level playing field for all contestants regardless of party affiliation.
Consequently, Buhari urged Muslims to embody tolerance going forward as one of the lessons learned from the Ramadan fast.
According to a statement signed late Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari said this in his message to the Muslim Ummah nationwide on the occasion of the Eid-el-Fitri celebrations to mark the end of the 30-day Ramadan fasting season.
“The 2023 general election will go down on record as one of the proudest achievements of my administration in addition to our neutrality in the conduct of the elections,” he said in the statement titled Sallah Message: President Buhari hails peaceful elections, calls on citizens to work harder towards tolerance.’
The President explained that “the outcomes of the elections were in line with my pledge to leave a legacy of free and fair elections.”
I’m proud that I have created a level playing field for all contestants regardless of party affiliation in order to produce a fair outcome for all.
Free and fair elections are the only principles that give credibility to our democracy, because the subversion of the will of the people undermines democracy itself.
“The elections were so transparent that even members of my own party were routed and unseated. At no point did I interfere with the process in order to give unfair advantage to anyone,” he added.
On the Ramadan fast, Buhari congratulated Muslims on successfully completing this demanding spiritual obligation.
While praying to Allah to reward the Muslims for their sacrifices during the fasting season, he advised that “we shouldn’t forget the important lessons of the Ramadan which includes improving our bond with the underprivileged and poor members of society.”
According to him, “abstention from food and drinks during the fasting period had made it possible for us to appreciate the situation of those who go without eating everyday.”
Cc: Punch
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