2023: Nigerians will vote in peaceful atmosphere – Buhari

says porous borders prolonging anti-terrorism fight

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday, said despite the high-spirited mood typical of election seasons, his regime would ensure that Nigerians vote in an atmosphere conducive for free and fair elections come February 25 and March 11, 2023.

” I have made it a cardinal commitment to ensure each Nigerian is able to exercise their franchise by participating in a free and fair election… it is our objective to ensure this takes place in a peaceful and conducive atmosphere,” Buhari said when he received the Secretary-General, World Customs Organisation, Dr Kunio Mikuriya, at the State House, Abuja.

According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Mikuriya is in Nigeria for a Global Conference on Fragile Borders themed ‘Enabling Customs in Fragile and and Conflict Affected Situations.’

The statement is titled ‘How fragile borders fuel terrorism, economic sabotage, and illicit flow of arms, by President Buhari.’

Commending Mikuriya for his fourth visit to Nigeria, Buhari said his latest appearance comes when the electorate goes to the polls.

He said, “I have made it a cardinal commitment to ensure each Nigerian is able to exercise their franchise by participating in a free and fair election, in true practice of our relatively nascent democracy.

“It is our objective to ensure this takes place in a peaceful and conducive atmosphere, despite all the usual excitement and gamesmanship that is known to occur during election campaigning.”

Buhari also lamented that the porous borders of many African states and the attendant proliferation of illicit arms were fueling economic sabotage and prolonging the fight against terrorism.

He argued that Nigeria and her neighbours must place a higher premium on the effective policing of borders, as the fragile nature of entry points into various countries enhances terrorism.

“In fact, it is quite frankly the singular most concerning sub-issue in our national security agenda. The fragility of our borders has been a major Achilles heel in our fight against terrorism, economic sabotage and illicit flow of small and light weapons,” Buhari remarked.