By Ademola Adeyemo
President Muhammadu Buhari seems to have given a marching order to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the conduct of the 2023 general elections, telling the electoral body, he will accept no excuses.
The president said he has given INEC everything it requires to conduct a successful election despite the Commission’s report of attacks on its facilities especially across the south east.
Speaking at an interactive session in the United States on the same day, Buhari said the electoral commission has no reason to be unprepared.
President Buhari said he has fulfilled all the demands made by INEC, and as such, “excuses” would not be tolerated.
Buhari: “INEC is ready because I made sure they were given all the resources they asked for because I don’t want any excuses that they were denied funds by the government.
‘‘Since 2015, the conduct of our elections continues to steadily improve. From the 2019 general elections, the by-elections and the off-season elections in Edo, Ekiti, Anambra and Osun States were conducted in largely improved contexts to the satisfaction of contestants and voters.
‘‘That is what we hope for in 2023. Through the observatory roles of the international community, the credibility of the elections can be further enhanced to make the acceptability of the outcome to the contestants and political parties a non-issue.’’
