New Year: We’ll deal with those planning to disrupt 2023 polls – Buhari

Obiora Ifoh, Abuja and Adekunle Adesuji

President Muhammadu Buhari has said any activity designed to disrupt the 2023 general election will be met with “full force of the law“.

 

Buhari said this in his 2023 New Year message to Nigerians, which was released on Saturday.

 

On February 25, 2023, Nigerians will go to the polls to elect a new president, senators and members of the house of representatives. On March 11, 2023, the governorship elections will take place alongside state assembly polls.

 

He  said that his government has put everything in place to ensure that the 2023 general election is free, fair and a reflection of the wishes of the electorates.

 

He however tasks Nigerians to play their own parts by not engaging in anti-state activities and other nefarious acts that may affect the run of the polls.

 

Buhari in his last New Year message as the President of Nigeria also charged Nigerians to resist every attempt to be used by politicians to create unrest in any form to disrupt the elections, warning that government is determined to meet such activities with the full force of the law.

 

Below is the full text of the message.

 

“First, I would like to thank and honour the Almighty who saw us through the year 2022 and has given us the opportunity to see another year. Each New Year is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, reposition, and move forward with the New.

 

“As we celebrate the opportunity to be alive in the year 2023, we must also acknowledge the passing away of our brothers and sisters who didn’t make it into this new year. May their souls rest in perfect peace.

 

“This year is particularly important to me because this message is in essence valedictory. After having the honour of serving you, my compatriots, for the last seven plus years, my tenure as your President in the most revered tradition of our ongoing and maturing democracy must necessarily come to an end. 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.

 

“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.

 

“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.

 

“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 e) 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.

 

“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.

 

“The Nigerian Start up Bill has been passed as an Act. This is considered 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.

 

“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:

 

“a. 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.

 

“b. 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.

 

“c. 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.

 

“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. 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.

 

“Long Live the Nigerian spirit of oneness, togetherness, and unity. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  A Happy and prosperous New year.”

 

However, Atiku Abubakar ,Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007 has noted that the year 2023 is a defining moment for the nation

In statement made available to Daily Champion, he said ‘I am 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.

I thank God for His infinite mercies and congratulate all Nigerians for surviving the harrowing experience imposed on our People for over seven years. Do not despair, hope is on the horizon. PDP shall make things right again.

On behalf of myself, my family and our great party the PDP, I urge you to support our noble cause to Recover and Rebuild Nigeria for a Prosperous 2023 and beyond.

 

.Only unity, patriotism can bring progress, prosperity- Southern senators

The members of the Senate of Southern extraction under Southern Senators Forum, has insisted that Nigeria can only witness progress and prosperity if all citizens value unity and patriotism.

 

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

 

The forum’s Chairman and  Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, said this in a statement, marking the new year celebration, on Saturday.

 

Bamidele made passionate appeal 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.

 

Bamidele stated that the country was brought together was through God’s design, and not by the knowledge of any mortal, urging Nigerians to be circumspect of this fact and guard the country’s unity jealously.

 

The Senator representing Ekiti Central  wished Nigerians a prosperous new year, urging them to make the right choice in the 2023 general elections, for the task of building a progressive nation realisable .

 

The Forum’s Chairman said; ” We thank God for giving us the opportunity to see the new year as it is neither by might nor by our own strength to see this new year, but by the help of Almighty God because nobody can receive anything expect he has been given by God.

 

” I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our community and religious leaders to continue to preach the message of peace among all Nigerians, because a nation can’t progress or prosper unless there is unity among tribes and religious organizations.

 

“We must know that a peaceful and united nation is a bedrock and fertile ground for progress and prosperity to be attained and sustained.

 

“With that spirit of unity and patriotism, we believe citizens can get it right by voting their conscience in any election without external influences and inducements .

 

“We charge Nigerians to get it right in the new year by supporting governments to build strong institutions that can stand the test of time and that can put the nation on a faster pace of peace, unity, political emancipation and economic prosperity”.

.Let’s keep hope alive, Oye, APGA chairman urges Nigerians

 

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr Victor Oye, has called on Nigerians not to give up on the country but keep hopes alive as they enter the year 2023.

Oye who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Saturday said he looked forward to a more prosperous and secure Nigeria but called on all to work toward it.

 

He said politicians should approach the general election with peaceful disposition and play by the rule while expressing hope that there would be no violence.

 

“I join millions of Nigerians to thank God for the end of year 2022 and wish them a happy 2023.

 

“I want to encourage us not to despair, we must keep hope alive because that is the critical ingredient for living. When you start losing hope, you start dying.

 

“Nigeria is a great country. I see a better year ahead, more prosperity and better security . The coming election will change many things for good.

 

“I want to appeal to politicians to approach the February elections with peace and respect for one another, we must play by the rules and respect the wishes of the masses,” he said.

 

Oye said there was need to ensure a strong economy and secure nation to check the worrisome outward migration of the country’s most active population to foreign lands in search of greener pastures.

 

“Nigeria does not have business being poor; all we need is a secure and peaceful environment for things to fall in place.

 

“If there is peace, people will stay here and work, do their businesses and render services. That will naturally strengthen the economy.

 

“My appeal is that President Muhammadu Buhari should bequeath a secure and united Nigeria with a strong economy to us at the end of his tenure,” he said.

 

Oye said APGA was ready to provide the desired leadership at all levels in Nigeria and urged the electorate to vote the party en masse during the general election.

.PDP tasks President on free, fair, credible elections 

 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to redeem his image by ensuring free, fair and credible electoral process where Nigerians can freely and peacefully vote and the Will of people prevail at the end of the day.

 

It also charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), other democracy institutions as well as security agencies to note the tide and ensure that they put in place all necessary arrangements for very transparent, free, fair and credible general elections.

 

This is contained in a statement by Hon. Debo Ologunagba, its

National Publicity Secretary.

 

According to him, the party “celebrates with Nigerians on the occasion of the New Year, urging them to reinforce their resolve for a better country.

 

“The PDP also charges Nigerians to ensure that they are not distracted by certain selfish individuals and groups in their determination to use the turning of the year 2023 as a springboard to rescue the nation from the shackles of misrule.

 

“The New Year presents an opportunity to strengthen our bond of unity as a people, resist all divisive voices and pursue a new beginning, away from the woes, economic hardship, killings and endless life-discounting experiences of the calamitous years of the rudderless, cruel and massively corrupt All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

“The year 2023 comes to our nation as a light at the end of the dark tunnel as Nigerians march to the polls with renewed vigour to expel the reckless and anti-people APC and elect a people-oriented leadership that truly cares as embodied in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and our Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

 

“The year 2023 presents Nigerians the opportunity to achieve their long-standing desire to bring back the good days of the PDP in office so that the citizens can again enjoy economic prosperity, infrastructural development, massive employment, business opportunities, peaceful and harmonious living that characterized the PDP years in government which have eluded our nation in the last seven and half years of the APC.

 

“It is against this backdrop that the PDP charges Nigerians to jettison all personal, group, sectional, ethnic and religious sentiments, resist all anti-democratic elements and selfish diversionary voices who seek to derail the electoral process and subvert PDP’s mission to Rescue, Rebuild and Redirect our nation from the misrule of the APC.

 

“It is instructive to state that at this moment, Nigerians are not ready or willing to accept any electoral outcome at any level that does not reflect the Will of the people as expressed at the ballots.

 

“This is especially as the PDP Candidate Atiku Abubakar, personifies the determination by Nigerians to forge a new direction of unity, national cohesion, good governance and the economic prosperity that they yearn for. The PDP prays for a peaceful, fulfilling and rewarding 2023 to all Nigerians.