Buhari is currently attending the coronation ceremony of the British monarch, King Charles III in the United Kingdom.
President Muhammadu Buhari has doubled down on his assessment of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria which he described as largely “free and fair.”
that Buhari departed Nigeria for the United Kingdom on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, to join other Commonwealth Leaders for the coronation ceremony of King Charles III as King of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Commonwealth.
During his address to his colleagues at a Commonwealth Leaders Summit in London, the president expressed his satisfaction with the conduct of the just-concluded elections in Nigeria considering the turnout of voters and the generally peaceful atmosphere under which it took place.
The summit, which was part of the major events leading to the coronation of His Majesty, King Charles II was held on Friday, May 5, 2023.
The theme of the event focused on the future of the Commonwealth as a body and the role of the youth.
Talking about the outcome of the elections, Buhari said the country has taken another step towards deepening its democracy with peaceful, transparent and credible elections.
He said the country learnt lessons which would make subsequent polls even better, adding that the mood of the nation after the announcement of the winners showed that democracy is maturing in Nigeria and can only get better.
The Nigerian leader said, “These elections saw a remarkable turnout of voters and proof that Nigeria’s democracy is maturing.
“Despite some pockets of violence, we have demonstrated that a government can be elected peacefully and fairly.
“Lessons have been learnt and moving forward, we hope to perform even better.
“Based on this, I am delighted to note that we have taken another step towards deepening our democracy with peaceful, transparent and credible outcomes.
“Though we are aware that challenges still exist, we are committed to working towards a greater participation of all Nigerians in the democratic process, including those in the diaspora.”
However, many Nigerians, especially supporters of the main opposition parties may disagree with the president’s comments that the elections were peaceful and credible.
Pulse reports that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have vehemently rejected the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the presidential election.
In a similar fashion, Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate has also described the process that produced Tinubu as fraudulent while also accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with the ruling party to rig the process.
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) will commence sitting on Monday, May 8, 2023, to hear the petitions filed by Obi and Atiku seeking to nullify Tinubu’s victory.
